Masaka!
by SkylarTenoh
Summary: I wrote this in anticipation of the (supposed) new SM series, so it's about the next generation, and the Outers- come on, everybody loves them! 15 years: Haruka's left for 15 years. She's earned some, she's lost more. She tries to make up for past mistakes but the question remains... Can she? Past dangers haunt her stronger than before. OCs abound! Ratings WILL change.
1. Prologue: Setting the Stage

A/N: You know, I'm not sure about this story. So I guess this chapter shall be a test for your reactions? I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so please leave a review telling me how you feel about this story. Then I'll decide on whether to take it down or to continue with it.

EDIT: Updated for errors. So sorry. I uploaded this at 5am previously, so I was pretty wuzzy.

EDITED THE EDIT: Still found errors, continued to correct them. Forgot to mention that none of SailorMoon belongs to me, but to the lovely genius that is **Nao**ko Takeuchi. I've borrowed (and taken some creative liberties with) her characters and her name. *Rubs hands together and twirls my non-existent mustache* SO, I OWN NOTHING. NAH-THANG, YOU HEAR ME? NAH-THANG! *clears throat*

EDITED THE EDITED EDIT: Right, I've edited the dates (Usagi's birthday is not in February!) so I've written about 12 chapters in 7 days (tell me that you're proud of me) but they are all unedited, and as the story progressed, the number of inconsistencies between chapters grew. So I really have to edit them before I post, otherwise the story won't make sense. The story is not completed yet, but I'd say it's almost there. When I finish the story, I'll go back and do one round of editing for inconsistencies, and then for the flow, the inner voices (I have a hard time with Haruka and Michiru's personalities, they're so complex...) of the story and chapters, so it will take some time to churn the story out, and for me to upload the next chapter. There are some really long chaps too, so I have no idea if I'm going to split them.

Plus, my final are going to eat up my next two weeks, so... no editing or writing for the time being. :( Yes, it will take a lot of time for this story to be completed. As I've said, this was a "test" chapter, so evidently, everything is still under works. But I am going to continue with this story. Thank you for all your supportive reviews. *throws virtual cookies at you*

**14.12.2013:** Alright I **added in a small segment** that just kinda fitted in here... Plus, new chapter update coming... Tomorrow? What? (Okay but I live in an exotic timezone where no one is awake when I am, so...:)

Well, without further ado…!

* * *

_Rikka hid behind the sofa as her Papa shouted and smashed things in his reach. It was already late at night, and Papa was angry again. He would shout and wreck things, but he was never violent to Mama or her._

_His target was Hotaru onee-san. It was always Hotaru onee-san. No matter what she did, she always drew Papa's ire. Rikka knew that the main reason was because Hotaru onee-san refused to call Papa otou-san, though. Papa never treated Hotaru like his own child, which was why she refused to see him as her father. Mama held Onee-san behind her, protecting her from Papa._

_Mama made a small comment that Rikka could not hear, and Papa grew even more enraged. Rikka clapped her hands over her ears as Papa's shouting grew louder._

_A vase crashed onto the floor, and it cut Mama's leg. She paid no attention to it, though, but stared coldly at Papa, clenching Onee-san tighter to her back._

"_THAT'S RIGHT, PROTECT HER!" Papa spat at Mama. Then Papa pushed Mama to the side. Mama fell onto the sofa, hitting it hard. Papa then gripped Onee-chan's forearm. Onee-chan screamed in pain. Even from that distance, Rikka could see Onne-chan's hand turning red. Papa raised his other hand, and brought it down— only to slap Mama's shoulder, which had materialised right in front of Onee-chan's face._

_Mama had jumped from the couch to shield Onee-chan. The resounding sound of the slap gave way to shocked silence. Papa had never hit anyone before._

"_That's it." Mama's voice was soft, low, but cold and powerful. Everyone in the room heard it. "Get out."_

_Papa's eyes grew wide. Mama and Papa continued staring at each other. Mama's eyes were flashing like Rikka had never seen it flash before._

"_Michiru…I…I didn't mean to hit yo…"_

"_You heard me, Kenji. Out. Now. Before I call the keisatsu*."_

_Papa still stood where he was, shock still._

"_Michiru… please."_

"_You'll be hearing from my lawyer. It's over, Kenji." Mama turned, folding a crying Onee-chan into her arms, comforting Onee-chan and stroking her bruised wrist. "See yourself out, Kenji. Or I will ask security to do so if you're still in my property after an hour. Text me your new address, I'll send someone over for your belongings. But for now…get out."_

_Mama's voice was so cold. Rikka sank deeper behind the sofa, so only her right eye peeked out. She could see Mama's cold eyes roam over the living room, but when she spotted Rikka in her hiding place, her eyes softened and warmed with concern._

"_Come here, aka-chan. It's okay. I'm not angry with you."_

_Rikka glanced over her still shell-shocked father, then ran for it and scampered into her mother's warm embrace. Together, they crept up into her Mama's room. Mama nursed Onee-chan's bruises before tucking the both of Rikka and Hotaru to bed._

_Lying in bed, Rikka realised that she never liked her father anyway. He… never bothered to know them, to understand their needs and wants._

_Still, Rikka couldn't shake the feeling that she was going to miss her father._

* * *

_Tenoh Nao, Tokyo, Mugen Gakuen, February 18, 2013, 2:31pm_

"Now, Tenoh-san, what do you think of our school?" The principal of Mugen Gakuen asked. He was an elderly man with a kindly look, but Nao felt that he was not a man to cross.

"Please, Principal-sama, call me Nao."

_So how are my entrance test results?_

Nao was nervous… did she pass? Did she fail…?

Principal-sama nodded, smiling.

_Guess I'll have to speak my mind before he says what's on his…_

"I feel that this school has an excellent environment. It's facilities are one of the best, and I somehow get the feeling that everything is provided for the students, and it is theirs as long as they want to pursue it.

"The students, from what I've observed, are driven to perform their best. They turn to the talented and try to emulate them—I just wished they'd turn more to their teachers and create their own way of studying than just trying to copy the success of others… Furthermore, I feel that the student culture here can definitely be improved upon. There should be a stronger school pride and camaraderie between students, so that everyone can learn from each other, not just a one directional learning arrow from the weaker students to the stronger students. From my experience, weaker students can teach the stronger students valuable lessons as well.

"The staff members, too, are extraordinary. The teachers seem to care very much about their subjects and the students. They seem to be very knowledgable and patient, although they seem to push just the weaker students—The stronger students need to be pushed as well, in order to soar to greater heights.

"However, what impresses me the most are the non-teaching staff. Their work commitment and ethics are absolutely remarkable. I have seen a few janitors bringing food and drinks to students who study late into the night. The canteen hawkers, too, place a great priority in bringing the most nutritious and good tasting food to the students. The non-teaching staff are so close knitted and bonded in giving the school their best services—It's just my humble opinion, but I think you should give them more staff benefits. I think that they are the backbone in gelling the school together, principal-sama."

Principal-sama leaned back in his chair, leaning his chin onto his knitted fingers, surveying Nao with a peculiar expression.

_Did I step out of line?_

"Gomenasai, Principal-sama. I spoke out of line." Nao said, then bobbed her head in apology—she was still unused to all this courtesy bowing. She's been here for only five days, so she was still learning—and getting used to—the Japanese culture. Nao made a face internally.

_ If kaa-san had given me more than three days before uprooting me from England and planting me in Japan….again. _

Nao missed her old home in London…

"That was very impressive, Nao-chan." Principal-sama finally said. "You gave a very in-depth analysis of the school and its dynamics… I expect that you'd done much observation of Mugen Gakuen, Nao-chan, which merely convinces me of your sincerity at joining our school. You just need to be more confident in your opinions." Principal-sama then consulted the file in front of him—the file that supposedly held Nao's entrance test results.

Nao wiped her palms on her jeans.

_What was kaa-san thinking, enrolling me into the best middle school there was in Tokyo only after five days of me learning Japanese!? Gah. Kaa-san's Asian mentality is going to be the death of me—I might have to be the best at tying my shoelaces…_

"What's more impressive are your entrance test scores." Principal-sama announced, and Nao breathed a sigh of relief. "From what you told me, you only began learning the Japanese language five days prior to the exams, but nonetheless, you've scored a whooping 87% on your Japanese paper—better than some born and bred Japanese whom I've accepted into Mugen. All reports from my teachers tell me that your Japanese is already of a calibre that is already higher than the average student of your age. Furthermore, from your speech just now, I can already conclude that you are more fluent in conversational Japanese than many middle-schoolers.

"And your scores and comments from teacher in other content-based subjects, like science and math, geography, and music are…nearly off the chart. You've scored nothing below 94% in those subjects—100% for geography and science, 98% in music and 94% in math, and the teachers' commended you highly, saying that you show an objectivity beyond your years. This teacher, the one who marked your music essay, suggests that only a three grade jump would give you an appropriate challenge."

Nao blinked in surprise.

_ They… want her to go to high school?_

"If I may ask, just out of curiousity, do you know your IQ score?" Principal-sama smiled at her.

Nao shook her head. "I never bothered to check, Principal-sama. There's no need to. I'd rather put that time and energy mastering something else, or doing something worthy. I know what my strengths and weaknesses are, so I'm working on them."

"Oh, like?"

Nao shrugged. "I'm currently learning as much as I can about the Japanese language and culture." Nao blushed. "I'm still having a little trouble with integrating into Japanese society… Apparently I'm bowing at the wrong times…"

Principal-sama laughed. "Don't worry, I have a feeling you are an exceptionally fast learner. Besides there are some things you can't learn but from experience, so give it some time, Nao-chan, you'll get there. So… back to the topic. We're offering you a three grade-skip, meaning you'll be in the third year of high school."

Nao blinked.

_ So I'm accepted?_

"Third year of high school? But I'm only fourteen, I should be in the last year of middle school, not the last year of high school! Besides, I need to settle down into the Japanese education system…"

Principal-sama nodded. "Hai…It keeps slipping my mind that you are only fourteen, and have only spent a week or so in Japan… How about a two grade jump? So you'll be in a probational second year of high school. If you can't keep up—which I highly doubt—we can bring you down to the first year of high school."

Nao considered it for awhile. "Hai. I think I can handle that, Principal-sama! So… Does that mean I'm accepted?"

Principal-sama smiled. "Welcome to Mugen Gakuen, Nao-chan. We look forward to having you as a new in our school. Our school's semesters are slightly different from the rest of Tokyo's schools, so we'll start one month earlier—on the 1st of March instead of April. I'll see you at 7.30am in the school hall for assembly, then lessons will commence at 8am sharp. You can see the curriculum officer outside to settle your lessons." Principal-sama signed something on Nao's file, closed it, and handed it to Nao. "Here are your results, I'm sure you'll want a closer perusal of it." Principal-sama stood, extending a hand. "Foreigners shake hands, right?" Principal smiled toothily.

Nao stood as well, stammering a hurried "Arigatou, bowing while taking his hand, then bowing awkwardly again as she shook it.

Principal-sama laughed.

Nao walked out of the principal's office, closing the door behind her. An idea occured to her, and she smiled devilishly, then deadpanned and turned to face her kaa-san.

Nao's kaa-san was waiting for her outside the principal's office. Nao feigned a look of utter disappointment, slumping her shoulders, casting her eyes downwards.

"Hey, aka-chan, its all right… there are plenty of other schools in Japan, don't look so disheartened…" Her kaa-san hugged her, and Nao smiled into her kaa-san's chest. Her kaa-san was _tall._

_Cue the dumb blonde jokes... or gullible blonde jokes anyway... _I_ don't know if kaa-san is being encouraging, or lacking faith in me…_

Nao laughed, breaking away from her kaa-san. "Mou, I thought you had more faith in 'your little genius.' Kaa-san," Nao said formally, standing up straight and clutching her file to her chest.

Her kaa-san raised an enquiring eyebrow, her lips twisting with reluctant amusement.

"I have been offered a three grade skip by principal-sama himself!" Nao announced proudly, drawing looks from everyone in the general office. Her kaa-san smiled proudly. "But I only accepted a 2-grade skip." Nao said pluckily, opening the file to her Japanese exam test results. "See, I only scored an 87% on this test, so I asked for some time to acclimatise into the Japanese education system before sitting for the national exams."

Her kaa-san smiled. "As long as you're happy, aka-chan. Let's get your timetable sorted out, then let's head out for some ice cream to celebrate, ne?"

Nao grinned widely. "Hai!"

"Oh, and I've just been in touch with an old friend. We're invited to a party on the 6th of March, I'll give you the address later, but you'll have to go there yourself—I need to work." Nao's kaa-san said a little too flippantly.

Nao stared at her mother. This had to be a very important event for her, otherwise she would just spring it on Nao—her mother was the Queen of Spontaneity, except for when occasions that mattered greatly to her…

"Hai, kaa-san, I'll be there…"

"Make sure you're _punctual."_

Nao winced. "Hai…"

Her kaa-san laughed.

* * *

_Kaioh Rikka, Tokyo, March 6, 2013, 4:30pm_

"So, squirt, think you're something big because you're Kaioh Michiru's daughter, don't you?" Ten-year-old Rikka was cornered. Three large boys surrounded her in an alleyway near the school, the largest of them in front of her, and the other two cronies were flanking her, preventing any escape.

Rikka was afraid. She was going to have to talk her way out. She hung her head, submitting to the three high schoolers from Mugen Gakuen. The big guy in front of her puffed himself up even more at that small gesture. Anymore and he'll look like a blown up pork chop. Rikka bit her lip to stifle her laughter.

"Well, I heard she's a bloody lesbian anyway. Cheated on your father with a woman, didn't she? I heard that's why they got divorced. Hah! Or maybe they got a divorce because you're too _weird_ and they can't stand you."

Rikka frowned. Her parents? As far as she could remember, Mama and Papa had always been on bad terms.

"I'm talking to you, squirt!"

Rikka was shoved. Surprised, she fell backwards onto the ground, her backpack absorbing most of the impact.

"Ow…" Rikka rubbed her behind, grimacing in pain. This… was going to bruise. Why, oh why did she opt to go for the shortcut to buy her favourite drink?

"Hey, does someone need help over there?" An accented, deep, but feminine voice reached Rikka's ears, wafting over from behind the pork chop. From her position, Rikka could just make out a figure wearing a female Mugen Gakuen uniform and carrying a gym bag. _Thank you, Kami-sama._

"HAI! Over here!" Rikka shouted, ignoring the angry hisses of the Pork Chop and his cronies.

"Walk away, girl, and we won't hurt you."

"Ah, but you'll have all the fun if I just walk away, no?"

The stranger took a few steps into the alley, towards the three boys, who turned their backs to Rikka in order to face the greater threat. Rikka scrambled to her feet and scrutinised the stranger. She had chin length, messy milk chocolate brown hair. Her eyes were sharp, intelligent, and…of different colours?

"I'll give you one last chance, lass. Walk. Away. Now." Pork Chop growled. Rikka had to admit, Pork Chop could be rather menacing.

The stranger snorted and shrugged, saying, "No pun intended, but…_Fat_ chance." She dropped her gym bag, and it plopped unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Tell you what," The stranger began stripping her outer wear, revealing a toned body garbed by a red tank top and shorts underneath her uniform. She folded her uniform and placed them on top of her gym bag. "I'll let you walk away now, and no one gets hurt, you fat cowards."

Pork Chop was menacing, but the stranger was way cooler.

"C-Cowards? How dare you, you skinny little girl?! We'll beat you into a pulp!" Pork Chop flexed his muscles and opened his stance, as if readying for a fight. His two cronies looked at each other, each adopting a smirk.

Now the stranger was tickled. She chuckled, as if truly amused. "Well, you'll try, fatso. You'll try. And for the record, three high school guys taking on an elementary school girl can hardly be considered as courageous, now can it?"

Rikka stood by the side, trying to blend in with the background, but felt a strong sense of awe for the stranger. There she was, taking on three guys that were bigger than her, and she was still amused and… thinking clearly. Wow.

But now Pork Chop was enraged. His ego was bruised and he could only do one thing about it. So he charged the stranger, his two cronies lagging behind him. They closed the distance between them and the stranger, but the alley was long, and the stranger was far away.

Smirking, the stranger kicked her gym back to the side. "Wow, you can still run? I admire your legs, they gotta be really strong."

A yell emitted from Pork Chop, and as he extended his right hand to hit the stranger in the face, she deftly sidestepped the punch, swinging to his right, outside his guard. With her right hand, she grasped Pork Chop's right wrist, and she swung her left hand down on his elbow almost tenderly. Pork Chop's yell of pain halted the two cronies in their tracks.

Taking advantage of their hesitation, the stranger did not release Pork Chop, but rather, she kicked Pork Chop's leg so that he was half-kneeling and unable to move without hurting his arm. The stranger then examined the wound that she'd just created with a slight disinterest.

"Hm… this is just a deep muscle bruise, not even a fracture. There's no need to yell _that_ loud." She chuckled to herself then. "So I guess you're not just cowardly and fat, but you're a wuss, too?"

Rikka gave a small, in audible giggle at that.

"Damn you!" Pork Chop growled between his teeth. "Guys, get her!"

The two cronies still hung back from the fight, eyeing the stranger with evident fear now.

The stranger just rolled her eyes. "Come on, please tell me you're not as idiotic as this starfish." She nodded towards Pork Chop. "I don't want any more trouble, so if you two leave the little girl and me alone, I promise I won't hurt you. You _know_ I can beat the two of you easily. I hardly used any strength and fatso here is already writhing in pain." She rolled her eyes again, exasperated.

The two cronies looked at each other, then nodded, picked up their bags and started to leave the alley.

"Wait, w-where are you two going?" There was real fear in Pork Chop's voice now.

"We're done, Ishiguro. She's right. You _are_ an idiot." The taller crony replied, not sparing Ishiguro a glance as they left the damp alley.

"Well!" The stranger said, almost chirpy. "We're done here, aren't we?" She gave him a slight shove as she released him. She walked over to pick up her clothes and bag. "Pick on someone your own size next time, won't you, Ishiguro-kun?"

Ishiguro grabbed his bruised elbow with his left, but otherwise did not move from his position.

The stranger turned when Ishiguro remained silent. "No reply? Tsk. How rude. I thought the Japanese placed high importance on courtesy? I guess not for people like you, huh?"

Then the stranger caught sight of Rikka, who was still determined to fade into the background. The stranger approached Rikka, bending to her level as she spoke to her.

"Hey, little girl. Are you all right?"

Rikka nodded, too stunned and awed to speak.

The stranger smiled and patted Rikka on her head. "You're cute. What's your name?"

"…Kaioh… Rikka."

"Kawaii-ne. Even your name is cute. My name is Tenoh Nao. Do you want me to walk you home?"

"Ie, my Mama is going to pick me up from school. We're going to meet all my baa-sans today. I just wanted to buy a drink before she got here, but..."

Ishiguro mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "Bloody lesbian.", then stood and ran out of the alley, clutching his arm.

"Tsk. What an idiot." Nao glanced at her watch. "Hm. I'll walk you back to school until you meet your mother, okay? Come on." Nao extended a hand, and Rikka took it.

They walked out of the alley and back to the school. A sleek, luxurious black car was already idling in the carpark, and an aquamarine haired lady gracefully stepped out of the car, her actions anxious when she registered Rikka's dirty clothes.

"Rikka!"

"Mama!" Rikka released Nao's hand and ran to her mother's waiting embrace.

Nao smiled at the scene. It was obvious that Rikka was safe now.

"Alrighty, I'll leave you to it. I'm running a little late. Ja ne! And Rikka, remember not to wander into alleys alone, no matter how thirsty you are, okay?!"

Nao chuckled at the expressions on the two faces that stared at her. "Hey, I need to get you in enough trouble so that you won't do it again!"

Rikka's mother turned to stare pointedly at Rikka, who was now flushed with guilt. Then her mother turned to Nao.

"Thank you, young lady. I surmise that you saved my daughter from…some danger?"

Nao laughed loudly. "Ah! Inductive reasoning! Finally! Someone with brains for a change!"

Rikka's mother smiled politely, although it was obvious that Nao's words confused her.

"Once again, arigatou for saving my daughter. Can I offer you a ride since you're late?"

Nao cringed and swore, "Ah! Shimatta!" She glanced at her watch and started jogging backwards, out of the school.

"No thanks, Kaa-san told me not to accept rides from strangers! Thanks anyway!" Then she turned and sprinted to flag a taxi.

* * *

_Kaioh Michiru, Tokyo, March 6, 2013, 5:47pm_

Michiru smiled slightly and shook her head at the antics of her daughter's saviour. Then she turned to Rikka and gave her a stern stare.

It was enough to illicit a guilty apology from her contrite daughter.

"Come on, aka-chan. We have a function to attend. You can tell me more when we're on the way. Can you tell me the young lady's name?"

Her daughter's eyes lit up when Michiru changed the subject. Interesting. Rikka must really like her.

"Her name is Nao. Tenoh Nao. Mama, you should have seen her! She was amazing! There were three guys and she just…"

Michiru tried to listen to her daughter, but when her daughter mentioned the word "Tenoh", her mind just shut off. Years of anger and bitterness welled up inside her, and her order for Rikka to get into the car was a little curter than she intended it to be.

No wonder there was something familiar in Nao's sprint that Michiru could not shake off… She reminded her of…

Michiru shook her head again. It couldn't be… it was just the school and the memories of Haruka it brought back. Haruka was gone, she abandoned them years ago, and there was no word from her in the last decade and a half when she was gone. There's no reason for her to come back now. Michiru pushed away those dark thoughts and concentrated on listening to her daughter.

So she listened to her daughter rave about how "cool" Nao was as she picked Hotaru up from cram school. Then she asked her daughter why Nao had to rescue her in the first place, which sobered Rikka up considerably. Hotaru was so confused that she laughed, and the mood in the car changed dramatically as they headed to the restaurant to celebrate her birthday.

* * *

_Tenoh Nao, Outskirts of Tokyo, March 6, 2013, Running late... Literally._

_6:59:30pm_

Nao gave it her all. She was a fast runner, but this… was mission impossible.

_Baka taxi-driver. Was the need to change shift greater than dropping a teenage girl in the middle of the wilderness?_

If Nao hadn't practically grown up with nature, she would be pretty cowed by the trees that casted dark shadows upon the road.

Why her kaa-san's friend chose to hold her birthday dinner in a restaurant on top of a hill located in the outskirts of Tokyo, Nao may never know.

What she _did_ know, was that Kaa-san _would_ be pissed if Nao was late—again.

_6:59:48pm_

Nao pushed against gravity, panting heavily and shrugging on a hoodie over her tank top. She zipped it and pulled the hood over her head, adjusting her grip on her gym bag.

_Almost there._

Nao almost heaved a sigh of relief as the road widened into an open aired car park that belonged to a four-storey lighted establishment that was surrounded by trees. The sigh, though, was contained as Nao spotted her mother leaning against her car. Her arms were folded, but she was obviously looking at her watch.

_Why does kaa-san have to park _all_ the way in?_

At least the slope was less steep now.

_6:59:55pm_

Nao yelled wordlessly and pushed her burning muscles even harder.

_Damned hill._

Nao skidded to a stop right in front of her mother, who was leaning against the hood of her yellow Ferrari. Nao checked her watch.

_7:00:00pm_

Her mother was _smiling._

_Arigatou, Kami-sama._

Nao was not easily intimidated, but her mother could be downright scary if she's miffed.

"Made it!" Nao gasped out in between harsh breaths, bracing herself on her knees, letting her gym bag fall to the floor once again.

"In your hoodie, aka-chan? This is a formal restaurant, you know?" Her mother laughed, running a hand through her blonde hair, clearly amused.

Nao gave her mother as plucky a smile as she could muster while nursing a stich in the side.

"Attire… in bag. You said… be on time… not properly dressed."

Her mother laughed even louder now.

"I have to say, aka-chan, that was the fastest I've seen you go for a long time now. But look around you."

Nao did. She looked at her surroundings, inside the restaurant. She realised…

"Where…is everybody…?"

Her mother placed a heavy hand on Nao's head, then stroked Nao's short hair slowly from side to side.

"We're half an hour early, aka-chan."

"KAA-SAN!"

Her mother just laughed. Loudly. In mirth.

Nao pouted. "Mou, I ran so hard for nothing. Now I'm all sweaty."

Nao's mother picked up her gym bag as the remnants of her hilarity died away.

"Come on, aka-chan. This is also a bed and breakfast, so they have a shower on the second level. We'll ask the owner for permission. But you can be ready and on time for once. "

Nao grinned mischieviously and followed her mother into the establishment.

Despite all her antics, Nao really loved her kaa-san to bits.

* * *

_Tenoh Nao, March 6, 2013, 7:13pm._

Nao surveyed herself in the mirror. The light aquamarine dress shirt she wore brought out her eyes— One green, one blue. Mix them together and you get aquamarine.

_Like Rikka's mother's hair._

Nao liked it.

She really looked good. Her dress shirt was tucked into her long black pants that traced her muscular but slim legs. Her eyes shone with excitement, flashing blue and green all at the same time. Nao really liked her eyes.

_If only it wasn't from that bitch._

Clenching her eyes shut, she forced that unbidden thought and her sudden anger down. Then she saw her beloved Haru kaa-san join her in looking at the full length mirror and her anger receded. Whatever it was, Haru kaa-san had her back... even if kaa-san was a little nervous at the moment. Her kaa-san wore an untucked white dress shirt that was open at the collar. An orangey-gold tie draped loosely around her kaa-san's neck. Nao had gotten a pair for the both of them as a birthday present, and it became a tradition to wear it whenever they appeared at social functions together.

She looked… good, especially for a woman at her age.

Still, Nao had to tease her kaa-san.

"Kaa-san, you do know that you're too old to be sporting that 'bad boy' look now, don't you?"

Nao saw her kaa-san's reflection smirk.

"Whatever, I'll still look badass no matter how old I get." Haru kaa-san smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

_Kaa-san must be really nervous. I guess its because this is the first time she's met her friends in years?_

Nao mentally shook her head. Even if they had not met in a long time, Kaa-san would not be nervous if they had been close.

_No, _Nao concluded, _something had happened between them in the past._

Her kaa-san placed a hand on Nao's shoulder. Then with the other, she took the twin of her own gold tie from the dressing table and, with deft, precise movements, helped Nao put in on. The orangey-gold tie contrasted with the aquamarine, but somehow, it was a refreshing combination.

Haru kaa-san examined their reflection and smiled at Nao, a gesture that Nao returned. Turning so they were standing face to face, Nao hugged her mother tightly, inhaling her scent. It was comforting, smelling of the detergent that Haru kaa-san always used on both their clothes. Somehow, it always smelled better on Haru kaa-san. There was something about Haru kaa-san's scent that made her smell special, even without the use of perfume or cologne.

"Love you, Kaa-san."

Her mother's arms wrapped around her, hugging her back tightly, and Haru kaa-san kissed her wet hair, but otherwise remained silent. It was one of her kaa-san's quirks. Haru kaa-san had trouble expressing her love in words, but if she loved someone, she made sure that person knew it through her actions. You could normally see it in her eyes.

It was one of the things that Nao treasured about her mother. Her green eyes were rarely warm. Warm eyes were reserved for people that she loved. Otherwise, her eyes were normally cold and… distant, challenging.

"Arigatou for tying my tie, Haru kaa-san."

Haru kaa-san's smile widened, and her green eyes danced with tenderness. Nao wondered if _her_ green eye could ever dance like that. "No problem, aka-chan," Haru kaa-san examined Nao from head to toe. "But there's still something missing."

Nao's smile faltered. "What?"

Her Kaa-san's smile then became playful, and before Nao could get away, her kaa-san had her in a headlock.

"No! Kaa-san! Lemme go!" Nao struggled futilely against her mother's death grip.

Her mother only laughed and started rumpling Nao's hair, her knuckles digging into Nao's scalp.

"Ow! Ahh! Oh, come on, Kaa-san!" Nao finally popped her head free of the headlock, then she rubbed her head gingerly. "I think you took half of my hair off while messing it up. If I get dumber, it's your fault." Nao mumbled grudgingly, checking her reflection as her kaa- san laughed.

"Oh come on, my genius aka-chan. You can spare a few brain cells. There's no need to keep skipping grades, you know. I can afford your education."

"Hey, it's not my fault the teachers think that I'm a genius!"

Haru kaa-san gathered up the remaining things that was scattered around the changing room and shoved them into Nao's gym bag. "All right, all right, my overachiever. Come on, let's go meet my friends." Nao noticed that her kaa-san sobered as she said those words.

Desperate to get her playful kaa-san back, Nao decided to tease a little. "Brace yourself, kaa-san. They're gonna be as old as you are." Nao stiffened with mock shock. "I'm going to be the youngest here, aren't I?"

Haru kaa-san lightly smacked the top of Nao's head as they walked out of the changing room. "Who are you calling old, youngling?!" Nao just smiled and retorted. Her mother was back.

* * *

A/N: There you are. Please review and let me know if I should continue! Thank you!

EDIT: Alrighty. I forgot the footnotes:

*Keisatsu: the police

Arigatou: Thank you

Okaa-san/ Kaa-san: Mother

Onee-san/ Onee-chan: Older sister

Aka-chan: Literally; baby.

Kami-sama: God.

Hai: Yes.

Ie: No.

Kawaii-ne: So cute!

Ja ne: See ya/ Bye.

Shimmatta: Damn/shit/ you get the point.

Mou: A kind of whiney expression. ("Mou, I dropped my ice cream", "Mou, computer broke…", etcetc.)

Baka: Idiot

Wow. I'm using a lot of Japanese here, aren't I? But well, I'm an asian, and I think these are all the words I know… sooo…. ASIANS RULE! (No, I'm not Japanese)

I really like writing in Nao's POV. Cause it's mine, with just a little tweak here and there (I'm no genius, Google is). The elegance and mystery of Michiru-san, however, IS HARD. Ugh.


	2. Chapter 1 Meetings

A/N: Alrighty! This is the next chapter in the story! Sorry I took so long—I wanted to complete the stories and iron out any inconsistencies in the story before I posted anything. (Well, the first chapter really was a rough sketch of the final story… And it was a litmus test to your reactions. Well, seeing that most of the reviews I received had been positive… Here you are!

I have renamed the story to better fit the plot… I truly hope that "Masaka", or "No way/ Unbelievable/etcetc" had enough suspense to make you go… "Masaka!"

To those of you who actually followed my story (I love you) and are here because you saw the update email/ notification, please note that I have made some small changes and added in a small segment in the prologue… it's not much, but it sets the stage (heh, get it, get it?) better. Well, 'nuff said! Onward with the story!

* * *

_Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had... and dealing with fears you didn't know existed._

_- Linda Wooten_

* * *

_Tenoh Haruka, Takayama Restaurant, Outskirts of Tokyo, March 6, 2013, 7:30pm_

The restaurant was already crowded and noisy by the time she and Nao stepped into it again after depositing Nao's gym bag into the car.

"HARUKA-SAN!" Haruka snickered as she felt Nao wince at her side. Odango-atama came barrelling towards her. Loud and boisterous as she was, Nao was still uncomfortable with people charging at her or Haruka. _That girl really needs to relax. _

"Odango-atama," Haruka said as she embraced the smaller, blonde woman with one arm. "Long time no see."

"That's your fault, I never expected you to be gone for _fifteen_ years."

Haruka raised her eyebrows. "You told me to take as much time as I needed, hime-chan."

Odango smiled, a little too sadly for Haruka's taste, to be honest. "That's true. Still, that was a little too long. I've missed you, Haruka-san."

Haruka laughed. "So have you, you're no longer my little koneko-chan any more, are you?"

Before Odango could reply, a chorus of…

"Haruka-san!"

"HARUKA-SAN?!"

"HARUKA-SAN!"

…Greeted Haruka, and she could not help but feel welcomed… and excited. _She _was going to be here tonight. Scanning the room, Haruka was disappointed to see that _she_ was not in the restaurant. Haruka was worried. Will _she_ be angry with her? Has_ she_ changed so much to the point where Haruka wouldn't be able to recognise _her_?

Haruka knew one thing though: _Her_ music was still as good, despite taking a more melancholic turn in recent years. Haruka's been following_ her _career close enough to know that. Haruka had all _her _albums stacked neatly in Haruka's room…

Out of the corner of her eye, Haruka saw Nao fidgeting uncomfortably as she got pushed by the side by a barrage of Inner Senshis swarming her. The confident Makoto, the sassy Minako, the fiery Rei and the shy Ami … they haven't changed much.

Laughing, she held up her hands to halt their advances.

"Ladies, ladies, I know I'm irresistible but please… stop throwing yourselves at me. You're making my daughter uncomfortable."

"Ehh? Haruka-san, you have a _daughter_?" Minako and Rei exclaimed at the same time. Haruka laughed even more at the shocked faces, but Odango only smiled wistfully at her. Well, only Odango and Setsuna really knew what happened fifteen years ago…

_They really haven't changed a bit._

"Minna, this is Tenoh Nao, my daughter. We just moved back from Britain. Come here, aka-chan!"

Nao blushed and pushed her way to Haruka. Haruka smiled. Her daughter was always so shy when she first meets people in social situations.

"Konnichiwa, baa-sans. Atashi wa Tenoh Nao desu." Nao bowed slightly, her cheeks still pink.

_Hm. Her accent is still a little thick. _

Still, it's impressive how much Japanese she's learnt in these few weeks that they've been here.

Haruka pretended to examine Nao's face. "Ah, aka-chan…Are you _blushing?"_

"Kaa-san! Stop teasing me!" Nao flushed deeper and the inner senshi laughed again.

Minako spared no time in bombarding Nao with questions. "Kawaii-ne! How old are you?"

Usagi and Makoto joined in.

"Are you staying for good?"

"I love your eyes. Are they natural?"

Nao stiffened beside her. Haruka draped a comforting arm around Nao. She knew that her eyes always reminded her of her birth mother.

Nao looked up at her, eyes searching. Haruka gave an encouraging nod.

Shy Ami was mortified.

"Minna, stop bombarding Nao with questions, and we haven't introduced ourselves yet, you know?"

"Ah, you're right, Ami-chan. How can I forget? I'm Aino Minako!" Minako struck a pose, so similar to Sailor V's signature pose that Haruka almost laughed. This was not going to be unnoticed by Nao.

"Kino Makoto, at your service!" Makoto winked at Nao, confident as ever.

"Hi, I'm Hino Rei," The miko was always formal when she first meets people.

"I'm Tsukino Usagi! Pleased to meet you!" Odango was her usual chirpy self.

"I'm Mizuno Ami." _The shy one. _

_Apart from being more mature, They… really haven't changed._

Nao turned to face the inner senshi. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Konnichiwa, baa-sans! I'm fourteen turning fifteen next week. And yeah, my eyes are natural, it's a genetic mutation called—"

"Complete heterochromia iridum." Ami concluded, nodding sagely. "It is a very rare genetic disorder that is believed to only affect—"

"-One percent of the total human population. Ah, but baa-san, those statistics are only for heterochromia, both partial and complete. As the causes for partial heterochromia may not be genetic in nature, the true percentage of people with complete genetic heterochromia iridum is actually less than that, otherwise, I'll be one in seventy- one million, two hundred and five thousand people to have this genetic disorder, which is an erroneous assumption that can be proven by mere observation." Nao paused and muttered to herself. "Shimmata. That was a run-on sentence. Gotta stop doing that."

There was a collective gasp from the inner senshi. Haruka could tell that Ami was impressed by Nao's intelligence. Haruka smirked.

_Nao's first prey of the night._

"Wow, are you sure you're not Ami-chan's child? You're such a genius!" Odango's eyes shimmered with admiration. "I'm past thirty and I still can't understand what you just said."

Ami looked at Makoto and blushed, while the brunette merely laughed at Ami's expression.

Nao's eyes darkened at the mention of her birth mother again, so Haruka stepped in.

"I already told her that I have enough money for her education, but she still insists on skipping grades." Haruka shrugged with mock nonchalance.

"KAA-SAN!"

"What, it's true!"

Ami was indeed impressed because she asked, "Wow, you're skipping grades? Which grade are you in now?"

"Well, Mugen Gakuen offered me a place in the third year of high school even though the Japanese grade for my entrance test was less than stellar, but I wanted to get into the second grade to give myself time to bring me up to scratch. After all, I've only studied Japanese seriously for five days before sitting for the entrance test, so… So I jumped two grades instead of three."

Makoto low whistled. "I think she might be smarter than you, Ami-chan." Ami nodded seriously.

"Hey, hey, you're forgetting all the positive influence I've had on your grades. I did teach you some Japanese for your test, aka-chan." Haruka placed her hands on her hips in a gesture of pride.

"Hai, kaa-san. Should I tell everyone the words you taught me?" Nao suggested slyly.

_Checkmate. It's a trap. _

Haruka sprung it anyway.

"Go ahead, aka-chan."

Nao glanced at her sceptically, amused.

"Well, according to kaa-san, 'damare, baka' meant 'good morning, sir.'" Nao started listing examples.

Ami placed her palm on her forehead and shook her head. Makoto and Rei started laughing. Odango… just looked shocked. Haruka just threaded her fingers together and placed them behind her head, leaning against them.

"'Teme, zakenayo!' meant 'it's nice to meet you'…" Nao ticked off another finger.

Makoto and Rei started tearing with laughter. Odango joined in, and even Ami joined in with soft, mortified laughter.

"…and 'Ketsunoana' refers to someone of high status." Nao finished. "The poor air stewardess was so offended she nearly cried. That was before I used a translator to set things straight. Then she thought I was the sweetest young thing on the airplane." Nao winked.

Now everyone was in hysterics, with the exception of Haruka and Nao.

"Like mother, like daughter, I see. Both of you can charm the socks off anyone you meet. Haruka, what _have_ you been teaching poor Nao-chan?" A smooth, calm voice penetrated the noise that the rabble was making. Looking up, Haruka saw Setsuna approach them with a steady gait, emerging from the general direction of the washroom. If she was here, then…

Behind Setsuna was a woman with aquamarine hair. Age had done nothing to mar her beauty. Her sculpted features, her smooth skin... hadn't changed a bit. If anything, her demeanour was different. There was a sadness around her, notable only by the wall she had constructed around herself. But behind that wall, Haruka knew, was a sense of void. Haruka stood shock still, staring straight at Michiru, who was holding the hands of Hotaru and an unknown child with her hair, her eyes…Michiru's child.

At the sound of Haruka's name, Michiru's head snapped up, and for the first time in fifteen eyes, Haruka locked eyes with the love of her life, her soulmate that could never be, and Michiru's face was an open book—she looked as if she saw someone infinitely dear to her.

Then her expression changed, and in Michiru's eyes, she saw longing, disbelief, shock, fury… and hatred.

A stone dropped deep into Haruka's stomach, and she broke the eye contact, sighing at the inevitable, not noticing the nervous looks that the Inners shot one another. There was sudden shift in atmosphere.

"Setsuna, its not easy raising a genius. Sometimes you have to hold her back from going too far in life."

Setsuna just gave a slight smile.

Giving a slight nod that bordered on discourtesy, Haruka excused herself from the Inners.

"Haruka-san, that is our table," Odango pointed to a long table located near to the back of the restaurant, nearest to the food. "Join us….when you're done." Odango smiled, "We'll be waiting for you."

Haruka smiled. There was this warm, genuine sincerity that was constantly around Odango that Haruka found extremely endearing. "Hai, koneko-chan. You go enjoy yourself first. Save some food for me, eh?"

Odango laughed. "Hai!"

Odango ushered the Inners to the buffet table, Makoto and Ami were directing a child each to the food.

Grabbing Nao by her shoulders, she guided Nao to Michiru, saying "Come on, aka-chan, I want you to meet someone.

"NAO ONEE-SAN!" Michiru's daughter charged at Nao, causing Nao to literally jump a foot in the air. Then the child hugged Nao tightly around the middle, causing Nao to squirm with unease.

Despite her own tumultuous, melancholic emotions, Haruka couldn't help roaring with laughter at the sight of Nao's expression. Nao shot her an angry, dirty look.

"So, young lady. We meet again." Michiru's melodious voice cut Haruka's laughter off. She hadn't noticed that Michiru and Hotaru had walked over to them. While Hotaru was staring openly at Haruka, Michiru ignored her totally. Not wanting to have eye contact with any of them, Haruka chose to focus on her daughter when a question posed itself to her.

_They…know each other?_

Nao looked like she wanted to do nothing but disappear.

"He-hello obaa-san."

_Not well, apparently._

"Again, I want to thank you for saving my daughter. She told me everything in the car."

Haruka's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Nao flashed Haruka a wary look.

"Um… Daijoubu, Obaa-san. It was nothing."

Michiru's child chose that point in time to raise her head, she was almost beside herself in excitement. "No it was not nothing! Kaa-san, you should have seen Nao onee-san! She easily beat three big high school guys single-handedly! She nearly broke Pork Chop's arm with—"

"AHH! N-No, I…!" Nao glanced at Haruka, guilt and fear in her eyes.

Haruka fastened a severe look at her daughter. Michiru drew her daughter into her arms and shushed her.

"Why were you late, Tenoh Nao?" Haruka questioned.

Nao hung her head, ruffling her hair with her hand, not looking at Haruka. "I wasn't."

Haruka crossed her arms, not wanting to deal with mere technicalities.

"Have you been fighting again?" Haruka's voice was grave. She could feel three pairs of eyes looking at her, but all she focused on was her daughter. As she had for ten long years. It grounded Haruka, gave her focus.

"Hai, kaa-san. But…" Nao glanced at her, then fixed her gaze on her shoes.

"You know my feelings on this subject, Nao."

"Hai, kaa-san. But…" Nao chanced another look at her, but bowed her head when she saw the expression on Haruka's face. Haruka smiled inwardly.

"I paid for your self-defence lessons to be used in times of personal need, Nao."

"Hai, kaa-san."

"I did not raise my daughter to be violent and bloodthirsty, Nao."

"Hai, kaa-san." Nao's voice took on a monotonous quality. Haruka nodded. Her daughter was not paying attention now.

_Great._

"I'm flying to the north pole to become a nun tomorrow, Nao."

"Hai, kaa-san."

Haruka grinned. Nao was really out of it. _Checkmate._

"Then I'm going to tap dance with the mermaids in Atlantis."

"Hai, kaa-san."

Haruka barked a laugh, and Nao's head snapped up in concern, confused. Michiru's daughter and Hotaru both sniggered. Only Michiru's expression stayed stoic.

_Focus on Nao. _And Haruka did, as she always did when the going got tough. Focusing on her daughter… pulled her through.

"Wha—"

"I'm afraid I don't quite know where Atlantis is yet, aka-chan, even if I _do_ know how to tap dance."

"What—"

"Come on, let me introduce you to the closest people to me…Well, other than you. Or maybe they are closer to me than you are." Haruka pretended to ponder on this issue thoughtfully, and saw Nao's face fall. "There, there. You are all equally as close to me." Nao frowned, as she often did when facing a situation that confused her.

Steeling herself, Haruka turned to face Michiru, her daughter, and Hotaru.

"Hello, Michiru."

"Haruka." Michiru replied coldly, nodding her head.

_Polite as always, but can you get more arctic than that?_

"It's good to see you again." Haruka smiled gently.

_You'll never know how much I mean that._

Michiru smiled, a slight, cruel twist of her mouth.

_Yes. Yes, she can be more arctic than that. _

But Haruka knew it was too late. She had upped and left fifteen years ago, shrugging away her responsibilities as senshi, as a friend, as a papa, and as a soulmate. Looking at Michiru now, it was obvious that she had suffered. Haruka longed to reach for Michiru, to hold her, to calm her, to love her, but she knew that she had lost the right fifteen years ago.

"Kaa-san, you know baa-san?" Nao looked at her mother and Michiru. Haruka could almost hear the cogs turning in Nao's head. Nao was a very observant girl. Coupled with her intelligence, Nao understood people and relationships easily and fast.

Haruka smiled gently at her daughter. "Yes, Nao, Michiru baa-san here is a very close friend of mine."

Turning, she saw Michiru freeze, whether from anger or from…some other emotion. Hotaru smiled slightly, and Haruka smiled sadly back.

"How?"

"We were close partners and classmates in high school."

Nao squinted. "Close…Partners?" Nao frowned slightly at her words, chewing on her bottom lip. Then her expression brightened with comprehension.

_Smack!_

Haruka's head snapped to her right, rolling with the impact of Michiru's slap.

"Hey!" Nao protested, only to be ignored by both Michiru and Haruka, who remained in their respective positions.

"Close friend?" Michiru was shaking. The whole restaurant was watching in shocked silence. "You leave with _nothing_ left behind and you dare call yourself my close partner? My close friend?" Michiru took in a deep breath, steadying herself.

Haruka had to admit, an angry Michiru was a scary Michiru. An enraged Michiru, as she was now, was practically terrifying.

And attractive. So. Darned. Attractive.

Haruka needed to stop getting turned on by Michiru's anger.

Nao had other ideas on her mind, though. Placing herself in front of Haruka, she glared at Michiru. In a way, Haruka admired Nao's bravery. Then again, Nao had never seen Michiru in action.

"Who do you think you are, lady?"

"I was under the impression that I am Kaioh Michiru." Michiru replied steadily. Hushed murmurs and whispers started to fill the restaurant. Haruka smiled. Yes, Michiru was still very famous in Japan.

"And what the hell gave Kaioh Michiru the right to hit my mother?" Nao spat at Michiru. Nope, Nao did not know who Kaioh Michiru was… at all.

"Nao," Haruka warned.

"Your mother's actions fifteen years ago."

"And what the hell gave you the right to judge her actions fifteen years ago?"

"The fact that I was her 'closest friend and partner.'"

"So did my mother's 'closest friend and partner' even bother to find out the reason behind my mother's fifteen year old actions?"

Michiru paused, caught off guard at Nao's retort. Haruka knew how temperamental Michiru was. Michiru was _furious,_ and not thinking right when she hit Haruka. Hell, she hadn't even been thinking when she swung at Haruka. Haruka understood.

And kami-sama, did Haruka deserve that slap.

"Nao, that's enough." Haruka stepped in to save Michiru. As sudden as Michiru's ire was, Haruka had fully deserved it. Placing a hand on Nao's shoulder, Haruka restrained her, saying "You too do not know anything about this situation we're in, so don't step out of line with what you say."

"Well, at least I'm not going around slapping people..."

"That's enough. Apologise to Kaioh Obaa-san." Haruka's voice was firm.

Nao just turned her head to the side and folded her eyes, petulant.

"Now, Tenoh Nao." Haruka warned.

"It's alright." Michiru's voice was soft. "Nao-chan has a point. I was wrong from the beginning. Gomenasai, I let my anger rule me."

Haruka could see the anger drain slowly from Nao. Her posture relaxed, and Nao unfolded her arms to look hesitantly at Michiru. Nao's voice was thick with guilt as she apologised.

"Gomenasai, Michiru-san. I spoke rudely and out of turn."

Michiru smiled warmly at Nao. "Are we friends then, young lady?"

Smiling warmly at Michiru, Nao extended her hand. "Hai! I don't believe that we've been formally introduced, but I'm Tenoh Nao, I'll be turning fifteen next week, and I'm attending Mugen Gakuen's high school. I just returned to Japan two weeks ago, so forgive me if my Japanese is not up to scratch. Pleased to meet you!"

_Women. I really don't understand them sometimes. _ Haruka mentally shook her head.

Michiru's eyebrows shot up momentarily in surprise, then she smiled warmly at Nao. "I'm glad to meet you too, especially after saving my daughter from such a precarious situation." Nao cringed a little, then turned to look at Haruka, who gave her a pointed stare but otherwise remained silent.

The restaurant relaxed, and the cosy atmosphere returned.

Haruka marvelled at how much Nao resembled Michiru in terms of character. Temperamental, stubborn, but they relent easily when they sense sincerity. Michiru just did so more gracefully.

"Uh… It's what I ought to do, oba-san. Don't mention it." Nao paused, deep in thought. "Actually, I'd _really_ appreciate it if you don't mention it again." Nao flashed Haruka another guilty look.

Michiru laughed, a small, light tinkling that made Haruka freeze in its beauty. "Alright, then we won't mention it again, shall we, Rikka-chan?" She patted her daughter's aquamarine hair.

Rikka pouted. "Mou, but kaa-san, it's such a good story!"

Michiru smiled but was otherwise firm. "No more, aka-chan, we don't want to get Nao-chan in anymore trouble, do we?"

"I want to hear it." Haruka added in a small conspiratorial whisper to Rikka.

Rikka giggled.

Nao groaned. "But then you'll just lecture me again, kaa-san."

"Of course I won't. You were saving someone from danger, and from what I heard, you didn't do anything too bad to those guys, did you?"

Nao shook her head vehemently. "But just now…"

"Was to make sure you know why you are fighting, Nao-chan." Haruka added off-handedly. Then she turned to the last person in the group that she haven't spoken to yet. Haruka was nervous. Out of everybody's reaction, she was least sure of how Hotaru would react.

"How are you, my little firefly?" Haruka said huskily, sincerely.

Tears swam in Hotaru's purple eyes.

"Haruka-papa!" Hotaru flung herself into Haruka's embrace, sobs wracking her body. Haruka patted her back, kissing Hotaru's hair.

"Shh… It's okay, darling. I'm here now."

"I know, Haruka-papa. I _know_. I _remember_."

Haruka felt her whole body stiffen as memories of the past flashed by her eyes. "You…saw…?"

Hotaru nodded. "I saw, and I remember everything. I'm so sorry, Haruka-papa. I'm so sorry."

Haruka could feel the ends of her mouth twist upwards to try hiding her sadness again. "Daijoubu, firefly. It wasn't your fault."

"But.."

Haruka shushed her. "It's not your fault, Firefly. Now, follow Michiru and grab something to eat, okay? I just need to talk to Nao privately for a while, then I'll join you, all right?"

Nao cringed visibly.

Hotaru gave a watery smile, nodded. Then the group of three wound their way to the buffet table.

"Come on, Nao. Let's go."

Mother and daughter stepped out to the evening breeze and slowly walked out of the restaurant, into the carpark.

"Whoa. Tonight just proves one thing. Women really are hormonal creatures." Nao commented. Her daughter was a master at changing topics at lightning speed.

Haruka chuckled. "Are you insulting me, aka-chan?"

"I'm not, 'Haruka-papa'." Nao quipped. Then Nao stretched her limbs. "I'm hungry. Can we get this talk over and done with? Kaa-san, what happened between you and them? I know Michiru-san is the person you've been pining for this entire time, but I don't understand why she's so angry at you. And I don't understand why you're so nervous meeting them when everyone is so pleased to see you. Well, maybe except for Michiru-san." Nao paused again, thinking hard. "So maybe Michiru-san is the only one you were nervous to meet, isn't it? And maybe Hotaru-san. You sounded so nervous then, too. What did she see, though? It made her so guilty…"

Haruka felt her expression freeze. Nao was perceptive; a little too perceptive. Nao looked curiously at Haruka when she did not get a reply.

"Nao…" Haruka's voice cracked, reflecting the raging swirl of emotions within her. Haruka thought that she had buried everything in the past, where it belonged. But coming back to Japan, seeing everybody again, especially Michiru and Hotaru again… Haruka wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew.

Nao's eyes widened in shock, then she hugged her mother tightly.

"It's okay, kaa-san. I'm sorry for asking. It was painful, I get it, it's okay."

Nao was comforting _her_. Haruka leaned in and returned the hug.

"Someday, Nao, I will tell you one day, I promise. For now, just know that the people in there are very dear to me. They are all my friends, partners, and family who have saved me in the past. Especially Michiru…"

"…Hotaru-san, and Setsuna-san? Yeah, I could tell." Nao sniggered. Haruka playfully punched her daughter's shoulder lightly. "I'll be politer."

"All right, my little genius." Haruka chucked Nao under her chin again, enjoying the feel of holding her teenage daughter in her arms.

Nao's hair tickled her cheek. She was really tall for her age. Haruka smiled. They had so much in common.

"Nao, your green eye looks exactly like mine."

Nao drew back, surprised at Haruka's choice of words. Then said eye teared and she managed to choke out, "Of course, kaa-san. I'm your daughter, after all."

Nao's stomach growled, and Haruka wasted no time in tickling her. Her daughter's laughter was enough to cheer her up.

Together, mother and daughter walked into the restaurant again.

* * *

A/N: Yay footnotes!

Hime-chan: Little Princess

Koneko-chan: Little kitten

Konnichiwa, baa-sans. Atashi wa Tenoh Nao desu.: Hello, aunties. I am Tenoh Nao

Daijobu: It's okay/ It doesn't matter

Oh and everything that Haruka "taught" Nao were swear words. You can look them up if you wan, otherwise it's rather vulgar, and I won't put them here.

Again, please leave me a **REVIEW** telling me how I did with this chapter. Was Haruka out of character? I just can't seem to grasp both Haruka's and Michiru's personalities... they're just so mysterious, and I just have to break everything down… I guess I can't have everything done my way… Argh. Anyway, replies to un-PM-able people! For those who are PM-able, please check your PM inboxes! Arigatou gozaimasu!

Alexia: Hey there, thanks for reviewing! Nao calls Haruka kaa-san (Mother), but she is adopted. I'm not sure what you meant by Haruka's wife, though… sorry! And yes, I am continuing this story! I've written the entire story already, so now I'm just editing to the best of my ability. Alas, I don't have a beta reader!

Guest: Thanks for your review! As you can see, here's the next chapter! I shall strive to edit and upload one chapter each week!

gadung: Well! The name, place and time for the person's POV will be introduced in _italics _in the right after the page breaker (the line), so I hope that helps you out! :) I like to tell a story from the person with the best perspective suited for the chapter/event, so... yeah, I will be shifting between a few different POVs. :)


	3. Chapter 1-2 Meetings and Trouble

A/N: So… yes. I originally planned on this being a whole other chapter on it's own, but for some reason, it just makes more sense for it being the second part of Chapter Two… Therefore… Haha. So I guess I'll update the next chapter earlier in the week? I'm still writing some parts of the story. And still mulling over some parts of the story (and how I can improve it.) I was kinda held up with Christmas and shit happened so I'm practically in charge of the entire family… temporarily, so… Yesh… Sigh. Anyway, on a happier note, I wrote to escape reality, and I'm glad I took refuge in my imagination (reality can be so dull, isn't it?)

As always, please leave me a review (whether it's good or bad, I wanna know!) Feel free to PM me and stuff if you don't understand certain parts of the story/ found some discrepancies. I mean, I wrote the story by random scenes, so tying them up is kind of a headache.

Oh, and can anyone help me beta this story? I'm shamelessly asking for help here. I'm not the best proof-reader/editor so… yeah.

I don't own the characters (cept for Nao and them ocs.) They all belong to the genius Naoko Takeuchi.

* * *

_Tenoh Nao, Akiyama Restaurant, Outskirts of Tokyo, March 6, 2013, 7:48pm_

Nao was in heaven. The amount and variety of food available was…fascinating. She'll be full if she just sampled a bite of everything… Not that she was complaining. Hell, even the salads look good.

_Tsk, rabbit food. I don't understand why Kaa-san loves them so much._

Nao grinned and started heaping her plate with food. One of kaa-san's friends—Nao believed it was Makoto-san—smiled at her as she scooped a healthy dollop of mashed potatoes onto her son's plate.

"Hungry?"

Nao laughed and pouted, complaining. "Mou, Haru kaa-san made me sprint all the way up the hill. I thought I was going to be late when I was actually half an hour early. Besides, I skipped lunch, so I am _starving_."

The baa-san laughed. "Haruka-san? You call your mother by her name?"

Nao shook her head. "No, no, it's a play on her name. It's Haru-kaa-san, not Haruka-san. I'm calling my mum by her nickname attached to her suffix, see? I have very deep respect for my mother, you know."

"I can tell, Nao-chan." The baa-san placed two hands on her son's shoulders. "By the way, I don't think I've introduced my son to you. This is my son, Mizuno Tetsuya. He's seven this year."

Nao smiled as she bent down to pat Tetsuya's head. "He's cute." Tetsuya had lively hazel eyes, a tuft of jet black hair and was wearing a shirt that had the trademark Sailor V on it. It looked…oddly familiar. "Hello Tetsuya, I'm Nao. Do you like Sailor V?"

Tetsuya smiled at Nao. "Mina-baa-san!"

Nao was confused. She was sure she hadn't hear that Japanese word before. She straightened and looked up at Makoto's suddenly stricken face, she drew a sudden connection: Makoto knew Sailor V… And she was adamant on protecting her identity.

Nao smiled reassuringly. "Young children, huh? I'm sorry to say I did not understand him." Makoto relaxed, and a lovely smile graced her face. To Nao, it seemed…thankful? Relieved?

"Well, yeah. He's been having problems with his speech. My partner and I have been trying to help him."

Nao grew confused again. Sneaking a quick look, she noticed that there was a ring on Makoto baa-san's left ring finger, meaning that she was married. So… did the word "partner" mean "husband" in Japanese? Or was Makoto baa-san…

Makoto chuckled at Nao's expression. "See that blue haired baa-san over there?" Makoto baa-san pointed to a point behind Nao. Nao turned and saw one of the baa-sans that she had talked to before.

Nao tilted her head and tried to recall the name of the intelligent baa-san. "Her name is…Ami-san, correct?"

Makoto baa-san smiled at the mention of her partner's name. "Yes, she is my wife. We got married in New York just two years ago. You really are a smart young woman, you know?"

"Just making the best of the education that kaa-san gave me." Nao smiled.

_I owe it to her. _

"Well, I daresay that you two look really good together!" Nao winked at Makoto baa-san.

"Ah, you're not just intelligent, you're discerning too!"

Nao and Makoto both laughed as the Usagi obaa-san came running over. Somehow, she was the most unassuming of the baa-sans, but everyone seemed to gravitate around her, as if she was some kind of leader. Nao smiled at her before collecting more food onto her plate.

"Mako-chan! Ami-chan needs Eiko-chan's medicine."

Nao searched for a fork, but only found chopsticks. Making a face, she took a spoon and started cramming a leafy vegetable from her salad into her mouth and leaned against the wall as she observed the exchange between the two baa-sans.

"Shimmatta! I left it in the car." Makoto baa-san floundered for a bit. "Usagi, can I trouble you to look after Tetsuya while I run to the car?"

"No problem, Mako-chan." Taking the plate from Makoto baa-san, Usagi baa-san put a hand and directed Tetsuya to the table where everyone except the four of them were gathered.

It was a wrong decision. The plate she was holding tilted, and the contents threatened to fall. Noticing the precarious position of the plate, Usagi baa-san overcompensated, so the whole plate threatened to fall from her hands.

Nao leapt forward, bending her knees at the same time. Balancing her own plate expertly with her left hand, she grasped the bottom of the other plate firmly, swooping it a little so that all the contents fell back onto the plate, and only a clean spoon fell onto the floor with a resounding clatter.

Usagi baa-san's face turned beet red as her table laughed at her clumsiness. Muttering an apology, she tried taking the plate back from Nao. The plate tilted dangerously again, and only Nao's fast reflexes saved the day.

Chuckling a little, Nao smiled at Usagi baa-san. "Allow me, Usagi baa-san." The table only laughed harder. Noticing the blush on Usagi baa-san's face, and interpreting it correctly as extreme embarrassment, Nao added, "Tetsuya-kun must be a handful, so allow me to help you, all right?"

Usagi baa-san's blush vanished, only to be replaced with a warm smile as she relented and handed the plate to Nao. "You're a very kind girl, Nao-chan."

Nao laughed. "You haven't seen my dark soul yet, Usagi baa-san." She was only half-joking.

Usagi baa-san shook her head violently, her pigtails swishing from side to side. "You're just like your mother, you may look hard on the exterior, but you are very kind on the inside." Usagi thought for awhile, then added, "You're like Michiru-san too, always knowing what to say." Usagi smiled fondly at Nao.

Nao just smiled sadly as she shifted the two plates and placed them on the buffet counter. "I may be like them, but I'm not Haru kaa-san, Usagi baa-san. I'm not even her real daughter. As for Michiru-san, I just met her, so I can't say anything."

Usagi baa-san's eyes widened almost comically, but the smile was wiped off her face. "W-what?"

"I'm adopted, Usagi baa-san." Nao explained, her sad smile not leaving her face. She put the utensils on the plates, then balanced them on both hands, thinking sourly about her birth mother.

_That bitch who abandoned an infant…_

"Everything okay here?" Harukaa-san appeared over Usagi baa-san's shoulder. Nao nearly jumped, but controlled herself on account of all the food she was holding.

Arranging her features to a smile that was more convincing, Nao nodded and started making her way to the table. "Yeah, everything's fine, apart from the fact that I'm starving from the run earlier." She shot her mother a dirty look. Kaa-san just raised both her hands in surrender, shaking her head and following Nao back to the table. Usagi baa-san followed, still looking stunned.

Nao saw Usagi-san exchange a look with Setsuna-san. Usagi-san shook her head, her expression worried, and the other lady just sighed and looked extremely vexed.

_Tsk, what's the big deal about being adopted, anyway?_

Nao shrugged it off, she surveyed the table as she gobbled food into her mouth. It was a long table, and everyone sat cross legged at the table. At one end was Usagi baa-san.

_ Was it Usagi baa-san's birthday? _

"Everybody, let's all sing Michiru-san a birthday song before we begin!" Usagi baa-san announced.

_Ah, so it's not Usagi baa-san's birthday… So why is she seated at the front of the table?_

The company sang the traditional birthday song for Michiru baa-san, then toasted to her health. Then they started digging in.

Nao's brain, however, would not stop running.

Nao's gaze fell onto Usagi's left. Seated directly beside her was a man whom Usagi introduced as Mamoru-san. He was her husband, and a doctor. His eyes flashed towards her, and Nao blushed as was caught openly staring at someone. Mamoru-san smiled at her.

Nao scanned the people seated opposite her. Beside Mamoru-san was Ami-san, Eiko-chan, Tetsuya-kun and Makoto-san. Seated on Makoto-san's side was the other blonde baa-san, who was named Minako-san, as well as Rei-san.

"Mina-chan, can you pass the shoyu?" Rei-san asked.

"Mina-chan?" Nao frowned, so the Mina baa-san that Tetsuya-kun referred to just now…

"That's my nickname!" Minako-san happily clarified.

"Then Tetsuya would call you 'Mina baa-san', right?"

Minako-san nodded. "Hai! I suppose so!"

Nao's eyes flashed to the figure on Tetsuya-kun's shirt, and back at Minako-san.

_There sure is a strong resemblance there…_

Then Nao saw Makoto-san exchange a nearly panicked look with Ami-san, and her hunch was confirmed.

Minako-san was Sailor V, or Sailor Venus. Then she scanned the table carefully again, and something clicked in her brain. Nao pictured the baa-sans in Sailor costumes. Makoto-san had a striking resemblance with Sailor Jupiter, Ami-san reminded her of Sailor Mercury, Minako-san was Sailor Venus, so Rei-san should be Sailor Mars. That means Mamoru-san was… Tuxedo Kamen? Yes, he fit the look—dark hair, same build. That left Usagi baa-san to complete the Inner Sailor Senshi as Sailor Moon. No wonder the rest of the baa-sans all treated her as a leader…she was!

Nao felt extremely thankful for Wikipedia…

Then came the difficult part; Sailors Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto. Surely Setsuna-san and Michiru-san were also Sailor Senshi, but was her mother part of the team too? She must be. She said in the carpark that they were her close friends and had saved Haru kaa-san's lives before, so it made sense. Nao remembered reading an article that said Sailor Uranus had not been spotted in Japan for fifteen years, so her mother must be Sailor Uranus, but who were the other senshi, then? Michiru-san should be Sailor Neptune, with her aquamarine hair, and Setsuna-san should be another Sailor Senshi… but which one? Pluto or Saturn? There was no one else of a similar age group. Maybe that Senshi could not make it.

_But that means… I'm dining with the Sailor Team. _

Nao smiled, awed, and bowed slightly. But she did not miss the wave of unease that swept through the table—were they telepathic or were they such a good team that they picked up on Makoto-san's unease so naturally? They all shot Nao furtive glances that made Nao uncomfortable, so she tried a little humour.

"Hello, everyone. I'm glad to be here and I'm… Honoured to be dining with you tonight," Nao smiled, deciding to throw in a pun. "Under the _moon,_ stars and _planets_ that guide us. Sure is romantic… Ah!"

A sudden thought occurred to her. Ignoring the shocked reactions at her words, Nao turned to her mother, who was staring at her with amused and slightly impressed eyes.

Nao decided to tease her mother. _Besides, this may help the situation with Michiru-san, too. _"So you weren't quoting Shakespeare when you said 'the moon sure is bright tonight, but are you watching the same moon that protects us all? You must be, you have to be…are you?', you were saying that to the person you've been pining for these fifteen years! I knew it! I read the entire works of Shakespeare but I just couldn't find that quote!"

The table was watching both her Kaa-san and Michiru-san now, but Nao just played dumb, ignoring them and concentrating on teasing her mother. _Come on, kaa-san, I'm helping you out here. _Her mother blushed and went beyond red.

"Well, maybe you could have added 'a moon viewed on any other continent looks just as bright.' Hm. But that will be erroneous, though. The different angles and weather conditions of the different locations would affect the luminosity, shape and size of the moon, and given the time differences between the continents, it wouldn't even be the same moon, and if you take a little literary liberty with Einstein's theory of relativity…"

"All right, now no one understands you, little freak." Her mother cut in, her tone was gentle even while trying to stop Nao from saying more.

Inwardly, Nao smiled as she checkmated with her mother, but outwardly, she just sighed and feigned exasperation, leaning on her kaa-san's shoulder so she could subtly watch Michiru-san's expression. "I'm just saying, that no, mama, you have to be beside the person to see the same moon, because distance and other related factors affect the shape and brightness of the moon, so no, you won't be watching the same moon as the nearly mythological soul mate you've been thinking of every night for fifteen years. You have to be beside him/her/it to be watching the same moon."

Michiru-san looked stunned, and Nao could see as every one of her masks fell and Michiru-san's visage started to cringe with pain before the masks went back on.

_Ah…So she does love my mama. Game, set, match. Huh, this must be a new record. I just won against two people at the same time._

"Well, mama, at least now you're back to look for the one that you love, eh? I certainly hope she finds it in herself to forgive you." Nao added.

Michiru-san looked as if she wanted to cry, so Nao decided to stop there. That's when she noticed that Hotaru-san was staring at her, smiling. Nao grinned and gave a small wink before closing her eyes and relaxing on her mother's shoulder. Her mother's arm came around her, and her kaa-san rubbed her arm.

"Who said my soul mate was a "she"?"

Nao laughed as she sat up. "Please, kaa-san, you're as straight as a meandering river. " Nervous laughter ran across the table now.

Harukaa-san laughed. "You're right. Men are gross." She paused and added an afterthought, "No offence, Mamoru. You're one of the less icky guys. That's a compliment."

"Well, I'll take it as one. Thanks, Haruka-san. That's a big compliment coming from you." Mamoru-san waved a piece of okonomiyaki as a toast to Harukaa-san.

Nao laughed. The awkward moment passed, and the conversation continued.

But as the evening drew on, the mystery of the past was getting to her, and the worst thing was that she could not ask her mother about it without triggering a waterfall of tears.

Nao was going to google this Kaioh Michiru—seems like she was a really special person to be able to catch her kaa-san's eye. Famous, too, for the whole restaurant to go silent when she mentioned her name…

Nao sighed and glanced at her mother's plate. It mostly had salad, but there were a few pieces of sashimi. Nao's plate was already empty again, and she needed to go for a third serving.

Nao held her chopsticks in her right hand, planning her attack. Whipping her chopsticks out, she poked a piece of salmon sashimi onto her chopsticks, then promptly popped it into her mouth. She looked at her mother triumphantly before she noticed her mother's dancing, amused eyes.

_Uh oh._

"One… two… three." Haru kaa-san counted off.

Icy fire burned Nao's mouth, and into Nao's windpipe. Nao coughed, Nao choked. She placed her hand over her mouth and forced herself to swallow the offending slice of fish as her mother roared with laughter.

_Wasabi!_

Her eyes _watered._

"I told you, aka-chan. Thieves rarely come to a good end."

Nao stood up, ran to the drinks counter. She downed a few cups of iced tea before the tears stopped. Her nasal cavity, on the other hand, still itched and burned. She rubbed her nose, wishing that the odd sensation would go away, yet knowing she could do nothing about it.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw her mother holding a cup of hot tea, a grin still gracing her visage.

"Here, aka-chan. Hot tea helps with the nose."

Nao eyed her mother suspiciously, making her laugh.

"Trust me!"

Nao took the cup from her mother, sipping it slowly. Relief seeped through her system. Her mother was right, it _did_ help with her nose.

"Better?"

"Much, you wasabi ninja."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault you took my sashimi."

"I was hungry!"

"You're still hungry? That was your second plate of food!"

"You made me expend all that unnecessary calories!"

"Hai, hai." Harukaa-san waved a noncommittal hand. "Well, thank kami-sama you're skipping a few grades, I could probably use that saved money to feed you."

Nao mumbled incoherently, making her mother chuckle even more.

"Ja, aka-chan. Let's get more food for the bottomless pit that is your stomach."

Nao followed her mother, feeling like a little puppy.

_Food!_

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Meanwhile, at the table and out of Haruka and Nao's earshot, a furious, whispered discussion was taking place amongst the Inners.

Makoto held her forehead, clearly troubled. "Nao knows that we're the Sailor Team. Tetsuya let slip that Mina-chan was Sailor V, and I think Nao just inferred from here."

Ami nodded. "She's very smart, and it's not just textbook intelligence, she's perceptive as well."

A thoughtful silence punctuated Ami's statement.

"Well, I doubt she'll expose our identities. She's too kind." Usagi commented.

Everyone nodded.

"Haruka-san's changed a lot, hasn't she?" Rei commented. Ami nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, she's more… I don't know, bipolar? When she's happy, she's really happy, but there are those moments where she just seems so…deeply sad. Plus, she's even got a daughter now? It means she'd slept with…" Minako broke off, for the sake of the children at the table.

Everyone turned to look at Michiru at the same time, all worried at her reaction.

Michiru flipped her hair to the side, eyebrows raised in a defiant "So?"

"No," Usagi whispered, looking at Setsuna. "Nao is adopted."

Setsuna sighed and shook her head. "Then we are in trouble…"

Everyone else did not know what to say about that.

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Nao came back with a third heaped plate of food, which she ate with great gusto.

"Goodness! Nao-chan, I think you have the potential to rival Usagi for the title of 'best glutton'!" Rei-san commented.

("REI-CHAN!" Usagi baa-san cried. Rei baa-san sniggered. "What, it's true!")

Nao smiled. "I'm a growing child, Rei-san. Besides, I skipped lunch, and this devil here," She nudged her mother in her ribs. "Made me sprint all the way up this hill for nothing. Be thankful that I'm here eating and not in a hospital getting checked for domestic abuse." She shoved a large chunk of mashed potatoes in her mouth.

"Well, you wouldn't be running if you had made it here with plenty of time to spare." Kaa-san replied.

"I would have, but…" Nao glanced at Rikka-chan, then at her kaa-san. "Never mind, forget it. I'm just hungry, so give me food and no one gets hurt." Haru kaa-san laughed.

The whole table, though, was curious.

"What happened?" Rei-san asked, curiousity written all over her face.

Rikka-chan, who had been silent up till now, started talking enthusiastically, telling the table what had transpired while Nao just continued eating, trying not to blush too much.

"…And then, at the last moment, just when Pork Chop was about to hit her in the face, Nao onee-san turned, held Porkie by the wrist, and punched his elbow. It didn't look hard, but Porkie screamed like mad. It must have hurt, but Nao onee-san just said that it was a deep muscle bruise or something—"

"A bone bruise." Nao cut in at the inaccuracy. "It was actually a bone bruise and not a deep tissue bruise as I mistook it to be. Thinking back, there is no or little muscle on the elbow for a deep tissue bruise, so that must mean that it was a bone bruise." She shrugged and went back to finish the food on her plate.

"You can get bruises on your bone?" Asked Minako-san incredulously.

"Hai." Ami-san replied. "Nao-chan's analysis was a little shallow, but accurate and impressive for someone who hasn't undergone medical training."

Nao laughed. "Well, I read."

"Yes, but it takes a well-honed mind to apply it to daily context." Ami-san added.

Nao snorted. "It's just watching out for what I read, no biggie. Sorry Rikka-chan, please continue."

Nao started considering if she should go for desserts. She was relatively full by now but… There was always space for desserts!

"Yeah, so Nao onee-san scared the other two high schoolers away, and walked me back to school, where Mama was waiting for me." Rikka-chan paused, hesitating for the first time since she started her monologue. Nao took a mouth of tea and got up, heading for drinks and dessert bar, deciding to refill her tea as she drained it.

"I-I want to marry Nao onee-san when I grow up!" Rikka-chan concluded.

For the second time in the night, Nao choked. The tea trickled down her windpipe and threatened to make a reappearance through her nose, finally lodging itself somewhere between her throat and her nasal cavity.

_Did I just receive the first marriage proposal of my life while drinking tea?!_

The table laughed again as Nao coughed and sputtered for air. This time, everyone laughed, even Michiru-san joined in. Only Rikka-chan looked confused, and embarrassed. Nao felt a twinge of pity for her. If Nao'd confessed to someone, and said someone choked while the whole table laughed… It wouldn't be a good feeling…

_Geez, is there not an ounce of sympathy for a dying girl here?_

"I forgot to tell you, aka-chan, gluttons rarely have good endings as well!" Her mother choked out in between hysterics.

Nao shot her mother a death glare, but otherwise went over to Rikka-chan, still looking mortified seeing that everyone was laughing, seemingly at her. Rikka-chan seemed precariously close to tears.

"Don't worry, Rikka-chan, they are laughing at me for choking, not at your confession, okay? That was really courageous of you. Nobody here will laugh at that, so don't worry." Rikka-chan did burst into tears and launched herself into Nao's embrace. Nao patted her back gently, after flinching wildly at that unexpected contact. Nao growled mentally. She still found it difficult to shake off that habit picked up from her childhood.

Everyone stopped laughing when Rikka-chan started bawling.

"But Rikka-chan, you are too young to talk of love now, okay? Give it a few years, and I'm sure you'll find someone way more deserving of your love than I am." Nao patted Rikka-chan on her head, but Rikka-chan stiffened. Cringing, Nao mentally kicked herself for saying that.

_ Talk about tact!_

"But I want Nao onee-san!"

"Uh… Alright, let's not talk about that anymore, do you want to get some dessert, Rikka-chan?"

* * *

He crouched in the shadows of the trees, blanketed by darkness. His eyes found his target seated at a long table, laughing and talking with the others gathered there.

_Found you._

His lips curled into a gruesome, cruel smile. Then his right hand drifted to his crotch, and he unzipped his pants, stroking himself gently, thinking of that incident that had plagued his mind over the long, dark years when he plotted his revenge…

_You are going to pay for what you did to oni-san and me fifteen years ago._

His left hand reached for a metal box, thinking about its contents, and he grew excited. But no, this was not the time yet. He started pumping his right hand harder. Up, down. Up, down. Faster, harder, stronger, until he climaxed with a muffled groan, spraying his seed on a tattered photograph of his smiling target.

_We meet again, and this is just the beginning of your pain, Tenoh Haruka._

He picked the picture up and smudged his seed all over her face, enjoying the look of himself over her. Then he licked it, savouring his taste and the smooth texture of the photograph on his tongue.

_Or should I say…Sailor Uranus?_

He thought of the power that his target held, and it almost gave him another orgasm. His lips curled again, this time in amusement, holding back laughter.

_Soon, soon, koi, we shall have a lot of fun together._

* * *

A/N: Yep. Guys (esp psychos) can be pretty gross sometimes. Not always, just sometimes. *shivers*

Careful guys, this story is and will get a lot darker, so be preparedddddd *sings in Scar's voice*

*crickets*… It's late, guys… cut me some slack…

**Anyway, for all of you wanting to know what happened between Haruka and Michiru… You'll have to wait a little longer! I like to slowly unravel the story, so… *Laughs evilly*** Anyway, here're the replies to non-PMable peeps!

Guest: THANK YOU! Haha. We'll get there. Your questions will be answered in the coming chapters (well, hopefully, I don't know if I would manage to answer all your questions in future chapters!

Alexia: I understand, and I fully applaud you. I mean, I know how difficult it is to learn and read a language that is not your native language. Alright, so Nao is adopted, right? And her eyes are of different colours (one blue, one green). The significance of this would help explain (or be explained) in the later chapters. Anyway, Nao has mixed feelings about her eyes. On one hand, she likes her eyes (she thinks that they are beautiful and makes her unique) but they always remind Nao of her birth mother (whom she detests). So by saying that Nao has one of her eyes, Haruka is actually comforting Nao by saying that they are, in however small a manner, related to one another. I hope that clears things up!

Jo C: Just out of curiosity, is your name your actual name, or a play on "Josie"? Heh. Sorry. Just my mind running off with my common sense. ;D To answer your question, I am going to TRY updating every week. BUT! As I'd said above, shit happened, and I currently have the responsibility of running the household seeing that my mum is kinda MIA at the moment, so…. Yeah. I'll try to update this story as soon as I can. ^^

Thanks for all the reviews guys! Lovin' them!


	4. Chapter 2 Past Hauntings

A/N: Short half-chapter up! Seemed like a good place to stop before getting into the juicy details of the past. ^^

SM Characters do not belong to me. OCs and the plot does. (It's hard to actually comprehend that I'm the owner of intellectual content, but there you are….)

OH, Italicised part: flashback. I want to show what happened, you know, but it's kinda hard to fit into the chapter.

* * *

_Haruka silenced her alarm, thankful that Michiru was a deep sleeper. Sure, it took her long to fall asleep, but she could sleep through thunderstorms._

_3AM Haruka's flight was at 430... she still had some time... _

_Michiru slept peacefully beside her, a small smile on her face. Haruka bent, kissing her lightly on her forehead. Haruka knew Michiru loved forehead kisses…_

"_I'll protect you, Michi. Whatever it takes, I'll protect you." Haruka whispered._

_Haruka kissed Michi's soft, soft lips, and Michi's smile widened in her sleep, and she giggled slightly. _

Are all her dreams that vivid?

_Haruka smiled again, brushing tendrils of Michi's hair off her beautiful face._

"_I'm sorry, Michi…"_

_And Haruka began to cry, softly, as she stood and unfolded Michi's arms from her waist. _

"_I love you, Michi…"_

_Haruka stood and dressed, never once taking her tearing eyes off Michi's sleeping form, memorising the way she looked, all curled up from the cold. Haruka should be there, keeping her warm. _

_A new surge of tears welled up and spilled from her eyes…_

_She reached into a drawer, took the little Walkman with the sole song in the CD out, and placed it on Michi's vanity table… She would find Haruka's song for her inside, and Haruka hoped she'll do some research. Sure, the song was in another language, but Michi was smart, she'd figure it out. _

_If she didn't… well, it made a good break up song… _

"_Goodbye, Michi…"_

_Haruka closed the door silently behind her. Taking no luggage but her wallet, a photo, and car keys with her, Haruka stepped out of the house, _

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_Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong._

_Michiru knew that before she even opened her eyes. Her bed was cold, her arms were hugging… herself._

_4:30AM_

_Michiru threw off her covers, suddenly frantic. Haruka was gone. Michiru knew, she just knew. _

_Michiru hunted the room for Haruka—Empty. The toilet—Empty. The kitchen—empty. Hotaru's room—empty. _

_Michiru was beyond frantic. She stepped out of the house, into the cold snow in bare feet and her pyjamas._

_The center of her universe? Empty._

_There was no word, no note, no tender kiss goodbye…_

_Haruka was gone. _

_Setsuna found her hours later, after the sun had risen, huddled in the snow by the front door, with her tears frozen on her face…_

* * *

_Tenoh Haruka, Mugen Gakuen, Tokyo, March 9, 2013, 3:05pm_

"Mama!" Nao's yell drew Haruka out of her reverie. Smiling slightly, she took the photo that she'd been waiting for, before removing the camera from her face just in time to catch Nao's flying hug.

_Thank goodness I've been leaning on the car. I'd fallen flat on my back otherwise. Not cool. _

"Hey, Aka-chan. I see you've missed me." Haruka laughed and replied, hugging her daughter tight and ruffling her damp hair. Nao really has been growing fast recently.

_ Tsk. Puberty. _

"Why," Haruka started, "Is your hair wet?"

Nao shot Haruka her signature plucky smile. "I had swimming for PE, of course."

"No wonder you're so energetic. You became a mermaid while I was stuck with work!"

Haruka laughed inwardly. She really seemed to have a thing for mermaids, both in her youth and in her adulthood.…

Nao laughed too. "Please, kaa-san, you just laze around all day snapping photos and you get paid for them."

"Oi, oi. Don't insult the sole bread winner! It pays the bills, okay?"

Nao flipped her hair—whatever she had. "Hai, hai. You know I can earn much more if I actually pursued my music career."

"Pfft. Your _non-existent_ music career…"

Nao chose to ignore her. "Besides, you're talking to the girl who just broke a sixteen year old Mugen Gakuen record within a week of school."

Haruka was proud, but she hid it from her daughter, otherwise Nao's head was going to become even bigger than it already was. So Haruka replied with a non-committal "Oh?"

Nao nodded, excited. "The record belonged to some woman who attended Mugen Gakuen sixteen years ago. I heard she was a musical prodigy too…Hm. Sounds like me."

Haruka laughed, but it was empty. She _knew_ who made that record.

"Well, the swimming club is going to have my head. The teacher-in-charge is already trying to hunt me down. The track team is already hounding me, but… you know how I feel about running. I declined on the spot. Now everybody wants me to join the swimming club and represent the school, but… Eh… I'm not so sure. And they can sense weakness, so I've taken to walking through secret passages through the school now."

Haruka laughed. Nao could really be ridiculous sometimes. "Oh? Why not? You can start an athletic career instead of a musical one… It'll allow me to relax, you know, let me laze around even more. Besides, it'll be fun to watch you dodge your fan club." Haruka suggested, jabbing Nao in the side. Nao grimaced and pouted at the thought of having people stalk her every move.

"Michiru-mama! Ah, Haruka-papa?"

Haruka stiffened, turning around, she saw Hotaru standing several feet away, apparently spotting both of her adoptive parents. Michiru was lounging in her car parked just behind Haruka's, her eyes closed and supposedly relaxed. The window to her door was down, and that made Haruka suspect that Michiru had been eavesdropping. _When did she get here?_

"Hey, Firefly." Haruka greeted her.

Nao followed suit. "Konnichiwa, Hotaru-san." Haruka had to bite back a laugh. Her daughter could be so formal sometimes.

Nao withdrew from Haruka, peering sneakily over at Michiru's car.

"Michiru-san!" Nao greeted chirpily, hopping over once she confirmed that Michiru was indeed in the car.

"Tsk. Traitor." Haruka mumbled. Haruka narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She knew what her daughter was up to.

Nao winked back at her.

"Hello, Nao-chan. How was your day at school?"

"Great! I broke a sixteen year old swimming record in school today!" Nao was dancing with excitement.

Haruka shook her head and turned to Hotaru.

"Hey, firefly, how was your day in school?"

Hotaru laughed. "Well, it's less eventful than Nao-chan's, and I didn't break any records but other than that, I'm good…"

Nao started shouting in excitement, actually leaning into Michiru's car and shouting into Michiru's face. "MASAKA, MICHIRU-SAN, YOU MEAN YOU'RE THE SWIMMER THAT SET THAT RECORD THAT I JUST BROKE?! THAT'S WAY COOL!" Haruka saw Michiru laugh, covering her mouth with her finger.

Haruka winced. "She can be so loud sometimes."

Hotaru laughed again. "It's refreshing." Hotaru studied Haruka closely, taking in her camera and slightly longer hair. "You've changed, Haruka-papa. But it's nice to have you back."

"Oh, I've changed, have I?" Haruka teased. "I'm not the one who grew a few feet since the last, last time I saw you…"

Hotaru nodded, laughing. "You seem gentler, more feminine, somehow. Maybe it's because of your maternal instincts towards Nao, but I think you've mellowed down a lot. Still as charming as ever, though." Hotaru laughed again.

Haruka smiled, looking at Nao talk and gesticulate enthusiastically with Michiru. "She… saved me, Hotaru. Back in the dark days in Britain, on those days when I really felt like just giving up… she was the light that gave me the strength to carry on. She'd just come and hug me out of the blue, you know. Even though I know she hated being touched then. And… I felt loved again. Her trust made me start trusting myself… What can I say, watching her grow up… She saved me more than I could ever do for her when I adopted her, Hotaru."

Hotaru's eyes filled with tears, but otherwise she didn't say anything.

"Hey, hey, firefly. You've grown up so much too, huh. Don't make me scoop you up into my arms, okay? They might just break now."

Hotaru chuckled, a choked, laugh that sounded glad, and sad at the same time. Haruka gathered her in her arms. "There, Hotaru. I'm here. Don't you cry."

Hotaru buried her face in Haruka's shoulder and started sobbing.

"KAA-SAN! Hotaru—" Nao broke off when she saw Hotaru crying into her Kaa-san's shoulder. Haruka saw her straighten and step back as Michiru opened the car door and walked over.

Haruka could see Nao shoot Michiru, Hotaru, and her an utterly confused look. Then Haruka froze and gulped as Michiru stopped, closer to her than she had been in fifteen years, and started patting Hotaru on her back, stroking her hair and leaning her head on Hotaru's, whispering sweet words of comfort to Hotaru.

Michiru was so close, Haruka could smell her perfume. Haruka took an involuntary deep breath, and it took her back to her high school days… All her affection for Michiru that had been buried deep in her heart resurfaced, and Haruka longed to sweep Michiru into her arms and beg for her forgiveness.

But she resisted. The memories of the hatred in Michiru's eyes two days ago stilled her hands, and they trembled against Hotaru's back.

Then Michiru shifted, so she was hugging Hotaru's side. And Haruka could feel Michiru's soft body pressed against her outer arms.

Haruka's breath came out in a rush, and Hotaru broke apart from her, her watery amethyst eyes snapping up to meet Haruka's stunned ones. Then Hotaru lowered her gaze.

"Gomen, Haruka-papa." Hotaru mumbled.

"D-Daijoubu." Haruka whispered, Michiru's close presence was still intoxicating her.

Hotaru's head snapped up again, and her gaze flitted between her Papa's conflicted expression and her Mama's confused ones. Both of their attentions were fixed on hers, neither of them wanting to look at each other.

Hotaru's expression grew pained as she looked at her Mama again, beseeching. Michiru sighed and turned to face Haruka.

"Hello, Haruka." Michiru said softly, with none of the coldness it held at the dinner two days before. It was… weary now, exhausted, even…

Haruka could only gape at the love of her life, at the face that had haunted her dreams and waking hours. Time and absence… did nothing to reduce her love for the woman standing in front of her. "Mi-Michiru." Her voice was husky, and it cracked.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Michiru's face, and Haruka could see the old playfulness awaken in her old partner. Michiru raised her hand and placed it on Haruka's cheek, and Haruka could feel herself blushing.

"How have you been, Haruka?"

They gazed deep into the depths of the other's eyes. Then Haruka broke the contact, closing her eyes. She relaxed and smiled.

"You're warm, Michiru."

Haruka opened her eyes as she heard Michiru gasp. Michiru's eyes were wild, filled with pain, longing, and… love?

Haruka understood. Those had been words uttered when they were on the brink of death. And Haruka wished, at that point in time, with all her strength and will, Haruka wished for Michiru to just _understand_ that Haruka didn't mean to abandon her. Haruka could stare death in the face and still choose Michiru, but she just couldn't let Michiru suffer along with her. Never. Haruka would die before she allowed that to happen.

"Ahem."

Michiru and Haruka jumped apart, like two teenagers getting caught doing something clandestine.

"I feel rather unwanted here, you know." Nao stood at where she was, her expression smug. Overly smug, Haruka noted.

Haruka almost laughed. Her daughter picked up on so many of her habits, it was like watching a clone of herself. At times like these, when Nao was trying to hide her insecurities, she'd pick a mask of humour, of arrogance that would fool almost everyone—but one person.

Haruka looked at Michiru, who seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

"Ah, does my little aka-chan want a hug from me too? I just hugged you just now, you know." Haruka teased. Nao flushed a little. She was not as kind as she could tell that Michiru was going to be.

"Nope, I just felt that that display of affection was a little uncalled for in this," Nao waved a hand at the surrounding school and at a group of students who were gathering to watch, some of whom were already pointing at Michiru. "uh, current situation that we're in." Nao finished. It was Haruka's turn to flush.

_ Checkmate. _

"Fine, fine. Shall we continue this over a drink, then?"

"Kaa-san, I'm too young to be drinking alcohol." Nao teased, twirling a finger around her skirt, as if embarrassed.

Haruka rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll get you your bottle from the storeroom. Just give me a second." Nao blushed as Hotaru and Michiru started laughing.

Haruka grinned as well. "Get in the car, twerp. We have places to go, food to eat, and things to buy."

"But I wanna sit in Michiru-san's car! It's so nice and comfortable and… big!" Nao finished lamely.

Haruka narrowed her eyes. She knew where this was going. Nao's eyes were brighter than normal. She was up to something.

"We'll eat together, right, Michiru-san? Kaa-san, you, Hotaru-san and I. We can all eat together, right?" Nao's large, hopeful eyes were gleaming with excitement.

"Of course we can, Nao-chan. But we'll have to wait for Rikka-chan too. She's slightly late today."

"Yay!" Nao ran up to Michiru and hugged her. Then Nao disengaged, shot out and grabbed both Hotaru and Haruka, pulling them all into a tight group hug, scents mixing, heads bumping together awkwardly. Haruka did not miss the fact that her daughter had put her next to Michiru, then squeezed them both together.

"Now, _this _is a group hug. Adults just can't seem to do it right." Nao sighed contently, rocking them back and forth. "Then we just have to squeeze Rikka-chan into the middle and everyone will be happy."

Hotaru laughed at Nao's words, and squirmed, not used to being in such tight embraces with multiple people. Michiru merely looked amused.

Haruka laughed, torn between mirth and mortification at being so close. "Can you be any more obvious, aka-chan?"

Nao looked at Michiru and smiled. "Of course not! My kaa-san has this chance of getting back to the person that she loves dearly. Of course I'm not going to let this chance slip!"

Nao grinned at everyone in the hug.

"Having fun?" A deep, masculine voice resonated from behind Haruka.

Nao let go of them, and they fell apart, but only Haruka and Nao were still smiling. The atmosphere had turned positively chilly around Michiru and Hotaru.

Haruka felt her own smile vanish as Michiru took an instinctive step in front of Hotaru. Nao was scanning all of them, scrutinising the stranger. He towered over Michiru, and Haruka felt her dislike of the man grow.

"Why are you here, Kenji?" Michiru's voice was cold, colder than when she had spoken to Haruka two days ago. Her face was… hard, her eyes gleaming with anger and…fear?

Haruka saw Hotaru's left hand glide to cover her right wrist. Her eyes narrowed.

"I am your ex-husband and the father of Rikka-chan, Michiru, I came to see my daughter."

"I have custody of our daughter, Kenji. You will see her on the weekends, but I can't have you spoiling our plans on the weekdays just because you feel like it."

"I'll just see her and go, then you can enjoy your time with your…friends. Who are they, anyway?" Kenji swept his gaze over Haruka and Nao haughtily, disinterestedly.

Haruka saw Nao's expression change, and inwardly, she pitied this poor Kenji. Nao hated being patronised, just like Michiru.

Nao stepped protectively in front of Michiru, pushing both Michiru and Hotaru back, invading Kenji's personal space. He held his ground, but Haruka saw his head jerk back, his jaw slackening with mild surprise. Haruka leaned back on the hood of her car, crossing her arms. This was going to be fun. Michiru and Hotaru flashed her worried looks, but Haruka just shrugged. Nao's got this.

"Hello, Kenji-san, allow me to introduce myself. I am Tenoh Nao, daughter of Tenoh Haruka, the pretty lady over there." Nao tilted her head in Haruka's general direction, not breaking eye contact with Kenji for a second. "It is a good day to meet you." Nao let her accent grow more pronounced, feigning ignorance with the language. She was not pleased to meet him, so she would not say so. Haruka knew that in situations like these, her daughter liked to play dumb, just a little, so that she could use her enemy's underestimation of her against them. Then she went in for the kill.

Nao did not bow, but rather extended her right hand for a handshake, as an equal. This gave Kenji two choices: to take a step back, give ground in order to have a more comfortable handshake that was not privy to Nao's dominance, or to twist his hand to shake hers, where she still would control the handshake.

Nao was playing the old game of dominance, all while hiding her intentions behind an innocent face of a fourteen year old. Haruka rubbed her nose, hiding her smile.

Kenji refused to give ground. Smirking, Kenji brought his hand up to shake hers, hard.

"OUCH!" Nao winced and yelped loudly. Kenji took an involuntary step back and released his death grip on her. "Gomen, Kenji-san. Your grip was a little too strong. I hurt my hand while swimming, see. I miscalculated and tapped the wall too hard."

_Little strategic liar, your hand is fine. You just want to act as the fragile princess you aren't. But… Check, Kenji. I suggest you don't push her too far. _

"I see. Then you should work harder at brushing up your swimming skills then, little girl."

Haruka sniggered, making Kenji turn and look at her. Michiru turned too, and as their gazes caught, and they both turned away in amusement. Nao just nodded. Her façade was perfect, but Haruka knew that Nao's patience was wearing thin.

"Yes, I have to try very hard. But the pools here are just a tad smaller than those in England, so I'm not so used to it yet."

"Ah, so you're new to the country?"

"Yes, Kenji-san. I still need as much guidance as I can, and Michiru-san and Hotaru-san have so kindly agreed to showing us around."

"I see. Well, I'll give you a small bit of advice, little girl." Kenji waved a disinterested hand at her. "Little girls like you shouldn't talk out of place to adults when a direct question has not been posed to them."

Nao smiled, one that flashed and was overly bright.

_Uh oh. She's snapped._

"I'm sorry, Kenji-san. But I believe that you are the one who is talking out of place. See, Michiru-san, Hotaru-san, Kaa-san and I were having a conversation in which you were not involved in, but you butted in, completely ignoring Kaa-san and I in the process. I may be new to this country, but I do know that butting into conversations and then ignoring people is not considered _polite_, and I do know that Japanese culture places a high importance on courtesy. But it's okay, I can forgive you for that slight lapse in judgement. We are, after all, human beings prone to errors."

Kenji's face expressed shock, then flushed an angry red at being spoken down to by a child. Nao was speaking in perfect Japanese now, with no signs of the accent shown just a moment before.

_Typical male ego._

"However, I would like to point out a second misdemeanour that I have observed. While I have politely addressed you as Kenji-san, you have chosen to ignore my given name and addressed me solely by a condescending "Little girl." So tell me, Kenji-san, who is speaking out of turn here?"

Kenji was beyond enraged. Taking a step closer so he was towering over Nao, he hissed, "Why, you…little girl…!"

Nao stood where she was and merely laughed. "Kenji-san, have you not been hearing what I just said not two seconds before? Or is your skull too thick for my message to sink in? Here, let me spell it out for you: My name is Tenoh Nao, and I am not a child to be patronised, Kenji-san."

Kenji tugged the front of Nao's uniform with his right hand and raised his left. Both Michiru and Hotaru sprung into action, both starting to run to Nao's side.

But Nao just shook her head, moving almost too fast to be seen. Grabbing Kenji's right hand with both of hers, she gripped two of Kenji's fingers in each hand. Nao gently pulled them apart, so the webbing in between Kenji's middle and fourth finger split open slightly. Before he even felt the pain, though, Nao spun to her left, so Kenji's slap swung wide and missed her entirely. Nao twisted his hand and pressed her shoulder against his, her leg entwining with his, so that the momentum put Kenji on his knees and in an arm lock, with Nao's elbow pressing against his shoulder, trapping him effectively. Nao was barely using strength, but Kenji felt the pain, and he screamed.

All this happened before Hotaru and Michiru could even reach Nao. They stopped in their tracks, stunned at what happened. Their expressions tipped Haruka over the edge and made her laugh.

"Just a word of caution, Kenji-san. Don't struggle, you'll just hurt your arm more." Nao warned almost cheerfully.

"Well, glad to know the lessons that I paid for were effective, Aka-chan. Now let the poor man go. I think he's learnt the lesson of taking you on both verbally and physically."

"Hai, Kaa-san. Just one more message before I let him go." Nao replied. Turning to the grimacing man, Nao warned the man in a whisper loud enough for all to hear.

"I've met people like you, Kenji-san. I know what you are. Michiru-san, Hotaru-san, and Rikka-san are all close friends of mine, and if you ever _touch_ them, if you ever_ hurt_ them, you'll have me to answer to. And trust me. By then, you'll have more than a sprained arm and bleeding finger webs. Do you understand me?" Haruka felt a chill run down her spine.

_They had been…abused?_

Kenji was breathing hard, from anger, embarrassment, and pain. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Nao pressed harder on his shoulder, and Kenji grunted in pain. "You may be able to fool others with your suit and tie, Kenji, but I know if someone has been hit by their family before. I know, I see it, and I despise you, Kenji. This will be my first and only warning. If they ever complain, if I ever hear a gasp of pain from them while in your company, hell, if I get to know that you're hitting _anyone_, you'll be answering to me, you coward."

Nao laughed and shoved him, away from her, away from Michiru, Hotaru and even Haruka, standing protectively in front of them all.

"I'll sue you for this!" Kenji raged, cradling his hurt arm.

Nao laughed even more. "Baka! Look!" She pointed at the students, who have gathered around, their handphone cameras out and recording. "Sue me and you'll be the one in trouble for attacking a minor. There's plenty of evidence that I was acting in self-defence!"

Kenji backed away to his car. "You…wait. I'll get you for this."

Nao nodded seriously, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "Waiting, waiting. Ah. Nothing's happening, though." Nao cocked an eyebrow.

Nao watched as Kenji got into his car and drove away, tires screeching on the tarmac, her face unreadable.

Michiru started laughing, her hand coming up to cover her face. Haruka marvelled at the sound, the sight of Michiru's mirth. "Now I see what Rikka-chan has been going on about." Michiru giggled some more. "Nao-chan, I want to marry you when you grow up!"

Haruka watched as her daughter struggled to put on a cheerful mask on her face. Nao turned to Michiru and shook her head, shrugging. "Gomen, Michiru-san, but you'll have to get in line."

Hotaru's laughter tinkled in time with Michiru's.

"Hai, hai, have I ever told you that she's my lifelong bodyguard?" Haruka chimed in.

"Hey, where's my pay?"

"It went to paying for your food, silly."

"Mou," Nao pouted.

"NAO ONEE-SAN!" Nao winced as Rikka came barrelling towards her.

"Be careful, Nao hurt her hand." Haruka warned.

Rikka literally skidded to a stop. Nao threw her mother a half-dirty, half-thankful look. Haruka just smirked.

"What! Where? Lemme see!" Rikka took Nao's hands in hers and checked, blushing and examining them thoroughly. Michiru and Hotaru were laughing silently as well, careful not to let Rikka notice.

"She's not hurt!" Rikka announced.

"Of course she's not. She's a little liar; she told your dad that she hurt her hand."

"Daddy was here?" Rikka's expression fell. "Why didn't he want to see me?"

Nao patted Rikka's head. "He came to see you, Rikka-chan, but he had to leave. Someone scared him away."

"Who?"

"Someone really mean and scary." Nao said with a wink.

"No, someone who is very, very kind." Hotaru added. Nao blushed, but Rikka was too busy looking at them all, confused beyond measure.

"Incidentally, I wasn't lying. I _did_ hurt my hand while swimming." Nao changed the topic.

_Talk about a tactician. _

"Where?" Rikka's tone was concerned. "I can't see anything."

"There." Nao pointed to the tip of her left forefinger. "chipped a nail on the side of the pool. Hurt like mad just now."

Haruka barked with laughter. "Awww, aka-chan, do you want me to kiss your boo-boo?"

"KAA-SAN!"

Everyone laughed, even Nao had a grudging smile on her face.

Haruka's mirth expired. "Alright, alright, would you rather quench the fiery pain of a chipped nail over some ice-cream or food? Rikka is here so let's go already. The grass is growing."

Nao grinned, perking up with glee. "I'm taking Michiru-san's car!"

"I'm following Nao onee-san!" Rikka piped up immediately.

"Then I'll sit with Haruka-papa. Is that okay, Michiru-mama?"

Michiru smiled, nodded. Then she looked at Haruka. "Do you know a good place with ice cream?"

Haruka shook her head. "I haven't really been exploring Tokyo since I got back. I'm sure things have changed. You lead the way."

Michiru's expression darkened at Haruka's words. Haruka dropped her gaze, pain lancing through her chest once again._ She's still angry that I left._

"Hai."

Nao jogged up to Haruka, placed a finger on either side of Haruka's surprised face and pushed upwards, creating a smile. A real one graced Haruka's face not long after.

"I know it gives you wrinkles, but I really like your face when it's smiling, kaa-san." Nao removed her fingers and pecked Haruka on the cheek, giving her a soft squeeze before running over to Michiru's car.

Haruka shook her head, smiling to herself. "Yareyare." She ran a hand through her hair as Michiru started her car. "Come on, Hotaru. Ikimashou."

Hotaru got into the passenger seat of her yellow Ferrari.

"So, Firefly, what's been up in your life? Come on, start talking. You have fifteen years' worth of stories to tell me."

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A/N: Please leave me a review on what you think was good or bad! (Or if you spot a mistake…I don't have a beta reader, sadly… any volunteers?:) I need them to grow as a writer… heheh. Thank yee in advance!

P.S. I have a new plot bunny hopping around in my head… think I should type it out?

Footnotes!

Ikimashou: Let's go (I think.)

Replies to reviews!

Jo C: I'm sorry, but I have no idea what Burst Angel is! Is it an anime? Haha. I was sounding your name out and thought it sounded mighty like Josie, so I thought it was your actual name! *Sweatdrops* I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN! I follow some stories that are NEVER updated, for goodness' sake! They just leave me hanging on a rope ten feet off the ground… Thanks for reading my story and finding it promising! I was just wondering if anyone would read this OC loaded FF. Heh.

Alexia: No problem! I'm glad to be of help. Just ask away! Hahaha. I put it in there because young children have the tendency to want to "marry" people whom they look up to… which I find cute. And I loved writing Nao's reaction too. I can just see it so clearly in my head, you know, the famous "spit-spray"…? Hope you enjoy this half-chapter! ^^


	5. Chapter 3 Mathematical Formulae

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Well, this chapter explains a little of the past, I guess? Eheh. You know I'm at the point where I've written so much I have no idea what the hell I am writing, and why I am writing anymore? Yeah. Anyways, as I've mentioned before… (I think?) I write to escape, and hopefully every update helps you, my dear readers, to escape life just a lil' bit too, huh?

By the way, I just had sudden muse strike me for 1) An AU H&M FF and 2) A H&M FF _based_ on AUs… I've already began working on 1, but I'm still working 2 out… So… yeah. Just keeping you guys updated. (Yes, I get really easily distracted. Huahahaha.)

As always, I do not own the SM franchise, nor the characters (cept the OCs, I just love them to bits.) But the story is pretty much mine.

* * *

_Nao hugged her knees, shifted deeper into the corner as the Sister's heels clacked towards her. It reminded Nao of her Papa smacking his belt together to test its strength… _

_Papa's booming voice filled Nao's mind… "You are nothing!"_

_Nao shivered._

_ The Sister—Nao wondered why the Sister had to be called her Sister if she was so much older than Nao—bent down and spoke in a soft whisper to her. Nao didn't reply, just in case the Sister started hitting her too—Papa hated it when she talked or made any noise. _

_ The Sister touched the bruise on Nao's face. Nao winced. It still hurt. She drew back from the Sister. _

Is she going to hurt me too?

_ Nao slid as deeply as she could into the wall, just in case. _

_ The Sister retracted her hand, stood and grabbed a blanket, looking kindly down at Nao as she did. Nao averted her eyes, Papa did not like her to stare at him, too. _

_ The Sister threw the blanket around Nao, hugging her as she did. Nao froze—What did this touch mean? Did it mean that The Sister was angry? Was she about to slap Nao?—and she started panicking. Nao wriggled out of the Sister's embrace, scrambling and running away until—Bam!_

_ Nao fell unceremoniously on her bum, and Nao could feel another bruise forming. It comforted her—she knew what pain was. _

_ She stared up at the person she bumped into…her gaze moved higher… and higher… and higher… The person was so tall! Nao's mouth opened in awe. Then green eyes shifted to meet her gaze, and Nao quickly looked away, at the stranger's shins, at Nao's eye level._

_ "Hey, gomen, little one, I didn't see you there, are you okay?" A husky, but clearly feminine voice said from… high up. Nao saw the stranger's pants rustle, and the stranger was suddenly at her eye level. "Kami-sama, what happened to you?!" The stranger's eyes raked over Nao, and Nao knew that the stranger was shocked at all her injuries—adults always felt shocked when they saw Nao's wounds, but it was normal to Nao, she'd deserved it, she needed to be punished._

_ The stranger reached out to lift Nao's chin, and Nao flinched wildly, scrambling back, straight into a wall. She hugged her knees again, shutting the stranger, the Sister, and everyone out. She went into her basement, where she would be safe, with the little rats and spiders that came out sometimes to play with her…_

_ When Nao felt safe enough to come out, the stranger was next to her, also seated silently, but not touching Nao. Nao turned her head slightly to peek at the stranger. _

Everyone always goes away after I come out from my basement…

_The stranger looked tired and sad. There were eye bags below her eyes, and she leaned her head against the wall, contemplating the ceiling. Apparently, the stranger noticed Nao's gaze on her, because she said,_

_ "Hey, little one, what do you say about coming home with me?" The stranger's voice was soft, weary. "I'll take good care of you, and I will protect you, I'll even love you, you know? No one will lay a hand on you."_

_ Nao did not understand her… _

What was "care", "protect", or "love"? Does she want to bring me back to Papa's home?

_The stranger shifted, resting her wrist on her knee, and Nao saw… scars on the stranger's wrist. Straight, thin lines that crisscrossed and left little hills on her wrist. Nao was fascinated. So this adult, unlike the others that she'd met, knew pain, too?_

_Nao reached curiously across the stranger's body, wanting to touch and feel the little scars…_

_The stranger misunderstood, and held Nao in her arms. Nao froze—again, waiting for the pain that came with contact._

"_Things may be tough for us both but… we still can have each other's backs, you know? We may just make it through… What do you say?"_

_The stranger's voice was gentle, and with the side of Nao's face pressed up against the stranger's chest, Nao could hear the stranger's heart beating steadily… and Nao's insides warmed… _

Am I…going to burn up from the inside?

_The sensation was strange, but Nao somehow liked it…_

"_You will be safe with me, okay, little one?" _

_Nao closed her eyes, the stranger was so warm and…. Nice._

_A gasp woke Nao up from her reverie. She looked up only to see the Sister stare disbelievingly at Nao and the stranger. _

_Nao knew the look on the Sister's face: she shouldn't be doing this. It was wrong._

_Nao drew back, her fear giving her strength that she did not know she had. Nao tore herself from the stranger and hugged herself, putting her head in between her knees and placing her arms over her head. _

"_She wouldn't allow anyone to touch her…" The Sister explained. "Because she had been abused by her previous adopted family. They had been 'punishing' her over the tiniest things, like looking them in the eye, or making any sort of noise… she's been here for a few days, but she hasn't said or done anything…I had to feed her for two hours straight…" The Sister paused, but Nao still did not dare to look up. "But she obviously likes you, she's never allowed anyone to touch her like that. I've been looking after her for five days, and she won't even allow me to tend to her wounds…and she's so fast in running away…"_

_Nao cowered. Why wasn't the Sister hitting her already?_

_Nao felt hands go around her, and she cringed. But there was no pain, only… warmth. _

Is that a good thing?

"_Hey, I said I won't let anyone hurt you, right? You are going to have to take my word for it…" Nao cowered, but the stranger still didn't let go. Instead, she kissed Nao's head, ruffling Nao's hair in the process. _

_They stayed like that for a while, then the stranger released Nao, muttering a "Stay here." to Nao. Nao just stayed on the floor, exactly like the stranger told her to. _

_Odd, she missed the stranger's touch… It was a first. _

_Nao was glad when the stranger came back for her. That was a first, too…_

_The stranger took her hand, but Nao pulled her hand out, so the stranger just nudged her to the direction of the Mother. _

"_Ah, Nao-chan. Say hello to your new Mama."_

_Nao's new Mama? Was her Mama an old mama then? True, the stranger did look younger than Mama…_

"_You'll be Tenoh Nao now…"_

What is 'Tenoh'?

"_Tenoh-san will take good care of you from now on, okay?"_

Who is Tenoh-san?

_It occurred to Nao that adults didn't really care about the other person's reaction to their statements— they were satisfied as long as they got their message out._

"_Be sure to write to us?"_

What is 'write'?

_Nao fixed her stare at the Mother's silver "t" slung around her neck. If she concentrated, she could see her own reflection if the Mother didn't move. _

_Then the stranger spoke. "I'll take good care of her and send you updates, Mother. Don't worry."_

"_Take good care of her, Tenoh-san. She's deserved it."_

"_Hai. Arigatou, sayonara, Mother."_

"_Sayonara, Tenoh-san…"_

_The stranger nudged Nao out of the orphanage. The sun was bright, and it blinded Nao. She blinked, lifting a hand to shield her eyes. The stranger shifted Nao's hands away, then put something on her eyes. It was like a pair of spectacles, just darker, so Nao's eyes didn't hurt as much. _

_But the dark spectacles were too big for Nao, and it slid down Nao's nose. Nao fumbled, and grabbed the dark spectacles before it hit the floor. She proffered it with both hands to the stranger, her head bowed. _

_An odd sound erupted from the stranger, and Nao jumped back, nearly running away in fright. It was like a fit of coughs, but less throaty. People tended to do that when they were amused or happy about something._

"_Gomen, but, you look really cute!" The stranger took the spectacles from her, then picked Nao up, lifted her into the air and carried Nao in her arms. Nao tensed. "Come on, little Tenoh, let's go for a ride!"_

_Nao could only wonder at what a ride was.._.

* * *

_Kaioh Michiru, The Car, Tokyo, March 9, 2013, 4:14pm_

Nao sat to her left, in the passenger seat in The Car. It took many complaints and grumbles, but her daughter gave in to sitting at the back alone. Rikka fought back by leaning her arms against the passenger and driver seats, getting as close to her new found idol as possible. But halfway through the journey and Rikka's enthusiasm burnt itself out, and she now slept peacefully in the back seat.

"Michiru-san, I love you, but you have horrible taste in men."

Nao's words brought her back to the present. Michiru chuckled, avoiding the topic at hand.

"You remind me of your mother, Nao-chan."

"Why, because she loves you too?" Nao replied, not missing a beat. Nao shot her a cheeky smile, her eyes scrutinising Michiru's face. There was something in her smile that told Michiru that Nao was respecting Michiru's decision to not talk about Kenji.

Really, this girl was too perceptive. Then again, their actions outside the school might as well have broadcasted it to the whole wide world.

"Ara, are you jealous that you have to share your mother's love, Nao-chan?" Michiru questioned.

"Are _you_ jealous that _I've_ come into the picture, Michiru-san?" Nao retorted.

This girl was as bad as Michiru was. Michiru liked pushing the attention away from herself when the occasion called for it, and she was skilled at making people uncomfortable by pushing the attention to _them_. But she may have met her match with Nao, and the girl was only fourteen.

"Why should I be?"

"Because you love her very much too, don't you?" Nao challenged.

Michiru did. She remembered pulling into the car park, parking behind a yellow convertible when she realised with a start that Haruka was leaning against it, her face tilted towards the sky, obscured by a huge, black camera. Dressed in a black turtleneck and jeans with shades in her blonde hair, and one leg braced against the car, Haruka looked absolutely breath-taking, deep in thought, yet carefree. Even after all these years, there was still an innocent sincerity to her that Michiru could not help but love and long for. But that innocent sincerity was marred by this deep-seated sadness that occasionally surfaced from within Haruka.

But in that moment in time, all Michiru could remember thinking was… _When did she start taking photographs?_

Then hearing them talk about her, and hearing Haruka's empty laugh… it still hurt to see Haruka in pain…

Michiru wondered at the change in Haruka—why were there occasions where she was so… sad and…guilty?

_It had been fifteen years. She just left, no letter, no call, no word. She comes back with sadness hidden behind a smile and a daughter in tow. A daughter that has her build, and half of her eyes. _

It was a marvel that mother and daughter were not related. The resemblance between them both was… remarkable to say the least. Their actions, the way they mussed their hair unconsciously…

Despite everything, Michiru knew that she would not be able to stay angry with Haruka for long, despite how much Michiru had suffered over the years without Haruka. Michiru loved her, truly, madly, deeply. But…

"There is more than love that makes a relationship, Nao-chan."

"So, you _do_ know that she loves you dearly, right? And you love her deeply too, correct?" Nao enquired.

Michiru chuckled. "My relationship with Haruka is more than a mathematical formula, Nao-chan. One plus one may not equal two."

Even as she said the words, she realised that Nao could be a potential wealth of information about Haruka these fifteen years that they've been apart.

Nao made a face. "True, but…"

"Haruka just left fifteen years ago, Nao, and I married Rikka's father. I gave birth to Rikka, and I raised Hotaru and Rikka. I'm not complaining or regretting any of my actions or choices I made, but it seems to me that it was extremely irresponsible of her to just…leave, especially since, like you said, she loved me very much. She did, after all, promise to raise Hotaru with me."

Michiru frowned. Memories of the talk she had with Hotaru after her birthday dinner surfaced in Michiru's mind… The pleading look Hotaru had as she begged Michiru to not judge Haruka harshly, that it was all Hotaru's fault… It frustrated Michiru greatly. Michiru had pressed for reasons, but Hotaru did not divulge anything, saying that it was not her place to reveal Haruka's secrets.

"Please don't say that about Haru kaa-san, Michiru- san." Nao said, her voice radiating sadness. Out of the corner of her eye, Michiru could see Nao looking out of the window, out at Tokyo's scenery. "Mama is anything but irresponsible. She is… the most sincere person I've ever met, Michiru-san.

"I was five when she adopted me, Michiru-san. Most people my age can't remember what their early childhood was like, Michiru-san, but I had it beaten, starved, screamed, slapped and belted into me by my previous adoptive parents. I ran, lived on the streets for a few days, got beat up so badly by the other homeless children that I got sent to the hospital. There, they identified me by my fingerprints, and sent me to another orphanage. I have no idea what happened to my adoptive parents… Anyway, I was five, and the smallest, most beaten and bruised child in that orphanage. I was the runt that sat in the corner of the room, talking to no one, freezing with fear when someone touched me."

Michiru froze, her eyes fixed ahead.

_Why is she telling me this?_

"Despite all that, Mama chose me. She came into the orphanage, saw me, and chose me. And she never gave up on me." Nao started choking on her words, but they came in a relentless fury. Now that Nao started, she did not want to stop.

"I… was not the easiest child to look after. I just sat in a corner of her hotel room's bathroom for a few days after she brought me home. I refused to eat, drink or say anything. On the third day I started knocking my head against the wall. I was stinking, dirty, and a nuisance. You know what she did? She took me into her arms, hugging me, rocking me back and forth, crying and whispering 'I'm here, you're safe' all the while she did that. The only thing I noted was how dirty I was, how I was staining her clothes with dirt as well, but she didn't mind at all. She just kept comforting me. Her touch was the first gentle one that I knew; all I had known before her were harsh words and touches that hurt... but she has never once raised her hand at me in anger. And it scared me. I didn't know what it meant.

"Eventually, after a few hours of hugging and comforting me, I came out of my shell. The first word I uttered in years was my name, Nao." Nao shook her head, laughing bitterly. "You should have seen the look in her eyes. She was so stunned that her mouth couldn't close. I can still remember that look.

"Anyway, after that, she bathed us both and washed the stained clothes. It was the first time I ever had a bubble bath, I remember laughing as the bubbles tickled me. It was the first time I'd ever laughed... I started to open up and trust her more, and all I can remember is how relieved she was, how she was always gentle with me. She never scolded me, but was always encouraging.

"I hit a problem stage when I was eight. I kept seeking fights because I always felt that I needed to protect myself. My self-confidence was so low because I was convinced that no one, not my birth mother, not my ex- adoptive parents, and not even kaa-san will want me because I was worthless. I was convinced that I deserved all the abuse my previous foster parents had done to me. I constantly got in trouble, and kaa-san had to frequently bail me out of it. But she never gave up on me, Michiru-san, no matter what hurtful things I said, or how many times I broke her heart or even hurt her.

"I guess it finally hit me that she really wanted me to stick around was when I'd ran away from home. It was really late but I really wanted to go to the beach to see the stars and hear the crashing waves. So I snuck out. She was frantically searching the neighbourhood when I got back. The security guard called her when I turned up in the apartment. It was the first time she raised her voice at me, but then she broke down and cried as she hugged me. That was when I realised that she really loved me.

"So I bucked up, I wanted to live life as best as I can, and I wanted to be the best I could be, and Kaa-san let me. She signed me up for everything I wanted to learn, and she paid for everything I wanted. I wanted to learn how to swim, she signed me up for lessons and spent an entire day shopping with me for the materials. I wanted to learn the piano, and she bought me one and taught me herself, every day for at least an hour without fail. The only thing she signed me up for was self-defence—I still don't understand why but I guess she wanted me to control my rage or something. Well, I repaid her by working extra hard and excelling at everything I asked for.

"So tell me, Michiru-san. Do you still think Haru kaa- san is an irresponsible person?"

Michiru was speechless, still trying to process the large amount of information given to her.

"Haru kaa-san had a good reason for leaving, Michiru-san. I know that. I may not know the exact circumstance in which she was in, but I trust her, as I suspect Hotaru-san does too… Either that or she knows the reason why Haru kaa-san left." Nao shook her head, as if to clear it. "Anyway, that's not my point. My point is, Michiru-san, please have faith in her too."

Michiru drove in silence, pondering. She stopped at a traffic junction, turned and smiled at Nao.

"You really have a gift of rendering people speechless, Nao-chan."

* * *

_Tenoh Haruka, Drivin' round town behind (And beside) the girls I love, Tokyo, March 9, 2013, 4:15pm_

Haruka was _pissed._ Nao had been right. That bastard Kenji had been a family abuser. Her heart ached at the thought of Hotaru being neglected and treated harshly by Kenji. Suddenly, she was thankful for everything that Nao did to that bastard. He had been lucky he just hurt his fingers, Haruka was going to rip his shoulder off for ever slapping Michiru's.

Haruka sighed deeply.

_How can I ever make it up to Hotaru and Michiru?_ It had been a mistake for her to have just left like that…

Haruka sighed again as she came to a stop behind Michiru's car at a traffic junction, turning to face Hotaru.

"Let me see your hand."

"There's really no need, Haruka-papa."

Haruka fixed her with a pointed stare, extending an open palm, and Hotaru raised her right hand tentatively, revealing her healing bruise. Haruka took Hotaru's wrist in her hands and stroked gently, not wanting to cause further hurt.

"Ouch." Haruka commented. The bruise was a faded yellow, but it was still tinged with black and blue. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt anymore?"

Hotaru giggled. "Yes, Haruka-papa, but I like you caring for me like this."

Haruka rolled her eyes, facing the front again as traffic started to move. "Attention seeker."

Hotaru giggled some more. "I have fifteen years of attention to seek from you, Haruka-papa."

"Hai, hai, I'll always show my attentions to my little firefly forever…"

"Hontou?" Hotaru laughed as she teased Haruka.

Haruka joined in Hotaru's laughter. "What's with everybody teasing me these days?"

"We only tease you because we love you and we're glad you're back, Haruka-papa." Hotaru grew serious, her voice turning fearful. "We really want you here, papa. Please don't leave again."

Haruka sobered too. "I know, Hotaru. I'm sorry for leaving, but I had my reasons."

"Hai. I know…Just… Don't leave again."

Haruka smiled. "I can't promise that, Hotaru. But I promise that I'll tell you if I'm leaving. I still want my holidays, you know." Haruka gave Hotaru a wink.

Hotaru smiled sadly. "Short holidays are fine… Just… not another very extended leave of absence, okay?"

Haruka gave Hotaru a smug smile. "Of course, who'll be the one to protect you all if I'm gone?"

Michiru turned into the Crown Center, and Haruka couldn't help but to shake her head at Michiru's choice of restaurant.

"Oh, come on, she couldn't introduce me to some new food places after I'd been gone for _fifteen _years?"

Hotaru's answering laugh rang through the car.

After Haruka parked her car, she got out and Nao slammed into her, hugging her tighter and longer than usual. She dug her face into Haruka's chest, and Haruka couldn't help but laugh and pat her daughter's head.

"Hey, little Tenoh. Missed me that bad, huh?"

She felt Nao laugh in her chest. "I was just feeling cold."

"Oh, so now I'm your heater? You wound me, aka-chan. I thought you felt strongly against the objectification of women, 'especially in an age where movements for gender equality have been impeded by the media's unrealistic portrayal of women'?"

"I'm flattered, kaa-san. You actually remembered my entrance essay word for word?" Nao teased.

"Eh." Haruka waved a hand, brushing the comment off.

"Ah well, I wasn't referring to _that_ kind of cold, anyway."

"Eh?" Haruka was confused and bemused at the same time. She had a distinct sense of déjà vu.

_Had this scene played out before?_

Her daughter laughed. "Come on, Kaa-san. You owe me a big fat chocolate sundae."

"I thought you were cold."

"Technicalities, mama, technicalities."

Michiru emerged from the car with a sleepy eyed Rikka. Rikka rubbed her eyes, yawning.

"Hey, kiddo, had a tiring day?" Haruka asked.

Rikka nodded and yawned again, leaning on her mother.

Michiru cuddled Rikka against her, and Haruka felt a sudden stab of jealousy.

_I wanna cuddle up against Michiru, too._

Haruka stopped in her tracks. _Where did that thought come from?_

"Kaa-san?" Nao looked at Haruka curiously.

Haruka shook her head. Nao from Haruka to Michiru and back, a grin spreading across her face and her eyes flashing mischievously.

"Here, I'll cuddle up against you too." Nao leaned on Haruka and rubbed her face on Haruka's sleeve like a cat.

"Hey! Me too!" Hotaru claimed Haruka's other arm and hugged it.

Michiru, who had been walking ahead of them, turned back and smiled at them, then she caught sight at the two children cuddling up to Haruka and her eyes glazed over.

Haruka smiled proudly, cocking an eyebrow and shrugging slightly. "What can I say… girls just throw themselves at me." Haruka winked at Michiru.

Hotaru and Nao laughed loudly.

"You don't know how many ladies I'd had to see to the door in England, Hotaru-san." Nao commented and Haruka could feel herself blushing. "They were everywhere in our apartment in England, on the sofa, on the bed… and in various states of undress." Hotaru's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Nao continued. "Maybe that's why I'm such a prude… Having women throw themselves at my mother…" Nao shuddered dramatically.

Haruka rolled her eyes. Hotaru's eyes widened.

Michiru turned and walked slightly faster than before.

_Is…Michiru jealous?_

"Of course, it was Haru kaa-san who asked me to see them out. They always seem to be able to find our address and sneak in through our windows and naked into our bed. I could tell that kaa-san was angry, but she was always very gentlemanly about it, though. I felt like killing some of them, they were so clingy, and Haru kaa-san is mine, I'm not sharing her unless it's someone special. I slept with mama every night…Seeing that we only had one bed…" Nao cuddled against Haruka again.

Michiru's pace slowed. Haruka just laughed and followed Michiru into the café.

* * *

_Tenoh Nao, ICECREAM! parlour of some sort, Tokyo, March 9, 2013, 4:56pm_

Nao licked her spoon clean, surreptitiously examining the two adults at the table. They threw each other fleeting glances, especially when they thought that the other wasn't looking. Their eyes often went to the other's lips and mouth, especially when they were eating mouthfuls of ice cream.

Her kaa-san raised her hand and wiped a drip of passion fruit ice-cream off the edge of Michiru-san's lip with her thumb, then proceeded to lick the drip off her finger.

Michiru-san started and stared at her kaa-san, who caught herself. They blushed, looked away and then focused their attention on the children.

It took Nao everything she had to not laugh out loud. Kami-sama, the sexual tension between them two… She could almost smell the mutual attraction in the air.

"How's the ice-cream, aka-chan?" Haru kaa-san asked, her face still pink.

"Melting. There's too much heat in here, generated by some unknown source of electricity." Nao stated, keeping a straight face.

_I ought to win an award for the 'Best Straight Face Kept Under Extremely Entertaining Circumstances'. _

Her kaa-san's eyes were confused. Nao scooped the last of her ice cream in to her mouth and decided to scram. Jumping up, she turned to Hotaru-san.

"Hotaru-san, can you show me the way to the arcade? And maybe give me a tour around this area? I can't say I'm familiar with it."

Hotaru-san was hesitant. "Um…" She looked at Michiru-san.

"Michiru-san, please?"

Michiru-san looked positively entertained. She gave Nao a knowing (and somewhat thankful) smile and nodded.

Rikka-chan stood up, not to be left behind. "I wanna go too!"

"All right! Let's go!" Nao winked at Michiru-san.

"Oi, oi, so my permission doesn't matter now?" Haruka chimed in.

Michiru-san sighed, folding her hands on her legs.

Nao rolled her eyes. Her mother can be really thick sometimes.

"Oh, come on, kaa-san!" Nao hugged her mother around her neck, pecking her on the cheek as she did so.

Whispering so that no one but Haru kaa-san could hear her, "I'm giving you your chance to kiss the ice-cream off her lips without us children watching, kaa-san! Geez, you're such a blockhead sometimes." Nao disentangled herself from her mother.

Haru kaa-san flushed deeply.

"Silence means consent! Thanks, Kaa-san! We'll be back by dinner time!" With that, she got up from the booth and headed for the stairs, linking arms with both Hotaru-san and Rikka-chan, practically dragging them out of the café, before pausing for a moment and looking at Hotaru-san for directions.

"To the left." Hotaru-san said.

"Right." Nao winked at Hotaru-san, wagging her eyebrows. Hotaru-san laughed at the pun.

"Ever the charmer like your mother, Nao-chan."

"What! It was just a pun!"

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"Meh, these games are boring, Hotaru-san. Is there a park we can go to nearby?" Nao yawned and stretched. A crowd had already gathered around them. Nao had out raced all of her competitors at the racing station, gathering both admiring and jealous looks from them. Some of them were pretty good, but they lacked something.

They lacked years of training from her mother.

"Nao-chan?" Nao turned to see Usagi-san walking towards her.

"Ah, Usagi-san?"

"Ah!, Nao-chan, Rikka-chan, Hotaru-chan!" Usagi-san hugged them tightly. Nao laughed. "What are you girls doing here?"

"We came for ice cream with kaa-san and Michiru-san, but I decided to check out the arcade and Hotaru-san and Rikka-chan were kind enough to accompany me. We're just about to leave."

"Hai," Hotaru-san said. "We're going to show Nao-chan around the area."

"Alright. I'm actually heading to meet Mamo-chan at the hospital, so I'll walk with you to the park!"

They made their way to the park, and parted ways with Usagi-san.

Hotaru-san and Rikka-chan deposited Nao at the playground in the middle of the park, telling her to wait for them till they got back. They had cheered Nao on loudly while she raced, so they were thirsty. Nao decided to check out the playground alone, walking past a small lake while she made her way there.

Nao did what she loved to. She climbed up to the top of the playground, then sat on the slide down, lying down on her back while she did so, only to come face to face with a youma shaped like a water bottle, with a bottle cap for a head, a filled bottle as a body, and plastic limbs that creaked with each movement the youma made.

"GUCHUG!"

Nao groaned.

_You have got to be kidding me._

* * *

A/N: Alright, I wanted to make just a minor point on why Haruka made Nao take self-defence classes. Well, firstly, she loves her daughter and wants her to be able to be safe. Secondly, Nao was CONSTANTLY picking fights and… well, just fighting when she wants to, when she feels like it. Haruka is aware of this. Haruka is also aware of the fact that Nao was doing this because she was incredibly insecure—Nao was still dealing with her abuse and fought because she didn't want to be picked on and because she wasn't sure if she would be able to fend off attackers. Some people tend to become highly defensive (To the point of aggression) when they are highly insecure (me).Thus the self-defence lessons (note: self-defence is not martial arts.); they empowered Nao, and she could defend herself, and thus place her in a less vulnerable position than she was before. This would, in turn, help Nao with her self-esteem issues.

Alrighty, Comments to them reviewers! Check your PMs if you allow me to PM you, otherwise… here are your replies, you sexy beasts…

Jo C: Hey there, Jo C from Burst Angel (I googled her and hell, she looks badass all the way!) yep, I definitely get what you mean about the "suspense" part. Eheh. It's because I'm a really bad planner. See, I wrote the story in bits and pieces. I write whatever inspired me at that moment I'm writing, which gave me a really big headache when the time for editing came. I knew which scenes came when, but I needed a lot of time and effort to tie them together to make them actually flow. As a result, I got really long, long chapters (20 pages?) that I'd prefer to call 'arcs', come to think of it… Anyways. I decided to break those chapters down and just post them bit by bit, and I'm not that skilful at picking the best places to stop at. I made an extra effort with this chapter, though! I hope you'd come back and read more of it!

You know, I just invented Rikka and her part is painfully small in this fan fic. I mean, she's a 10 year old child! (I have a tiny phobia of young children at that age…and I don't have much experience with them, so… I'll be poking them from a huge distance in between us with a metaphorical literary stick) I think Nao just sees her as a little sister. Nao's not very interested in romantic relationships now… And as for desert… I'm not sure, are you asking for **lemon** meringues or something? Hahaha.

BG: THANKYOU. You inspire me to try developing it further! :) I hope I didn't disappoint! :)


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